Zeeland, a province of peace and space

Zeeland is a country in the sea. With a total of 650 kilometers of coastline, the water is always close by. The peace, the space, you come to yourself here. Zeeland is never the same. It is a country of contrasts. There are always new sides to discover. There is an impressive coastline, ebb and tide. And the sea breeze provides different lighting throughout the day. Here, on average, the most sunshine hours in the Netherlands are registered! Zeeland is a province with a lot of small scale, but in the most positive sense of the word. Zeeland is a group of islands apart, it is wide and spacious; even the cities have a village character. With the sea there, that makes Zeeland a place where you have the peace and space. Vrouwenpolder is a cozy village, sandwiched between the Veerse Meer, the North Sea and the beautiful hinterland of Walcheren. Walcheren is the westernmost former island of Zeeland. The monumental cities of Veere and Middelburg, the beautiful harbor town of Vlissingen and the fashionable shopping town of Domburg are among the immediate surroundings.

Walcheren

Walcheren is located partly on the North Sea and on the Westerschelde. The beaches offer a view of sea-going vessels sailing along the coast. The beaches are among the cleanest in the Netherlands. Nature Reserve De Manteling van Walcheren consists of forests, dunes, stately avenues and classical country places. From the 17th to 19th centuries, the Middelburg elite lived here in the summer. Domburg is the oldest seaside resort on the Walcheren coast. The area around Walcheren was already inhabited since Roman times and Domburg was an important trading place. After the 4th century, Walcheren became a county and in the 9th century it was given ring ramparts for protection against the Normans. Middelburg was created around that time as the middle burg between Domburg and Souburg. In the 16th and 17th centuries this city grew into one of the largest port and trading cities in the Northern Netherlands. Walcheren has been a peninsula since the end of the 19th century when the Sloedam was built and the railway line from Zuid-Beveland was extended to Vlissingen. In the Second World War, Walcheren turned into a large fortress because the German occupier expected a major attack on the island. About 200 bunkers were built. There was fierce fighting in particular at the Sloedam and many casualties. A large part of Walcheren was flooded by the Allies in 1944 to weaken the occupier's position. Walcheren was finally liberated on November 8, 1944. During the flood disaster in 1953, Walcheren largely kept their feet dry. The Veerse Meer was created by the construction of the Veerse Gatdam, part of the Delta Works. It is nowadays a popular water sport location in Zeeland. Especially on the island of Walcheren, the folkloric sport of ring riding is very popular. Almost every place has its own competition. When riding a ring, the rider sits on a horse without a saddle and tries to put a lance into a ring in gallop.