Eline Stolk is a Zwolle native

"I grew up in Zeeland, but my mother was born in Staphorst. Therefore, I knew this region well before I moved here seven years ago. My father is from near Rotterdam. I also find the mentality of that city in Zwolle. Just like there, I experience here a mentality of 'don't bullshit, but clean up'. And I mean that in a positive way. People work hard and want to achieve something. I like that mentality. It's easy to get things done here. And at the same time you can find everything you are looking for in Zwolle. Theater, festivals, beautiful nature, the beautiful canal and great initiatives like Blue Bayou, where culture, music, beach and good food come together.

More experiments

I also like the fact that Zwolle is increasingly open to experiments. We like to contribute to that with Impactmakers. I myself like to travel alone. It's easier to step out of your comfort zone and meet people who sometimes broaden your view of the world. "Why would you be able to experience that feeling alone on a trip?", I asked myself. Thus was born the idea for ErvaringRijker, where we want to evoke that travel feeling in our own city. It is a concept where connection, meeting, out-of-the-box thinking and sustainability are central. An impact dinner is an example: people from Zwolle meet people they don't know and don't know beforehand what they will be eating. Chefs prepare dishes from ingredients we get from Zwolle and its immediate surroundings. Participants are at least one experience richer afterwards.

Week of Sustainability

I got involved in the Week of Sustainability through that concept. Meetings between sustainable entrepreneurs and city dwellers are central to it. I notice that many people don't know where they can get organic food and drinks, for example. While that offer in Zwolle is quite large. Last year's first edition took place on the former Philips grounds. This time we consciously choose the city center of Zwolle. Precisely because we want to make the connection with people who are not at all engaged with sustainability.

Dreaming away in the inner city

At sixteen well-known locations in the inner city, entrepreneurs will provide tasty, surprising, educational and fun activities. We offer impactful experiences. For families, the Experience Route is the perfect kickoff to the Fall vacation. There are many workshops and for children there is a scavenger hunt. Downtown Zwolle is the perfect setting for such an event. I love the historical character. My favorite part is the Museum Quarter. I can get totally carried away by the buildings there. If I ever win the lottery again....

Living in Assendorp

I live in Assendorp. A beautiful neighborhood with a bit of a village feeling in the middle of the city. I was recently sitting on the terrace of the Park Pavilion De Wezenlanden. There I was greeted by a couple of ladies whom I did not immediately recognize. They were the employees of the bakery on Assendorperstraat where I like to get my bread. Because they weren't wearing their work clothes now, I didn't immediately see that it was them. But such a meeting is also typical of Zwolle: you get to know people very quickly.

A square with potential

I recently joined the board of multifunctional center De Enk. This is the beating heart of the neighborhood: people play sports there, have parties, sing in a choir, come for a drink or play billiards. We want to grow even more into the meeting center of Assendorp. Assendorperplein is also so cool. There I sometimes get the feeling that I am discovering a wonderful place in a metropolis. Truly a square with a lot of potential."

The Top 3 by Eline Stolk

• "At the Haersterveer across the Vecht, I feel like stepping back in time. With friends I love to picnic on the waterfront. Nice food and drinks and a bit of watching that beautiful bicycle ferry."
• "A cool initiative is the WijKeuken in De Enk. In that multifunctional center in Assendorp you slide in two nights a week for an organic three-course menu. And that for ten euros. Everyone is welcome!"
• "I like to sit on the terrace of Café Foyé Odeon. You look out there on the imposing Museum de Fundatie. Also, it's a very lively place that inspires me. I also consider it a bit like my workplace. Ideally, you can charge your laptop on the terrace."