Baalhoek
Encyclopedia
Baalhoek is a hamlet in the Dutch
province of Zeeland
. It is located in the municipality of Hulst
, about 5 km east of Kloosterzande
on the dyke of the Westerschelde.
The name of the hamlet refers to an old pier to the north, "Ten Ballen", used by a ferry. When the village of Hontenisse
disappeared in a flood in 1509, this pier and some of the remaining dykes formed a corner ("hoek"), named "Ballenhouck". The pier disappeared into the Westerschelde around 1600, but the name remained.
According to the 19th century historian A.J. van der Aa, Baalhoek (or "Balhoek") was the only settlement in the Kruispolder, a polder
that was reclaimed from the sea in 1616. In the middle of the 19th century, it consisted of 19 houses, and had a population of more than 70. All of the houses of the hamlet were located on or near the sea dyke. There was a little harbour here. Around the harbour, a new hamlet Kruispolderhaven
arose.
Nowadays, the hamlet is the smallest of the three hamlets in the Kruispolder, including Kruisdorp and Kruispolderhaven
. Together, these three settlements are also named "Kruispolder".
Baalhoek is mostly associated with the "Baalhoekkanaal" (Baalhoek Canal), a plan for a shortcut to the harbour of Antwerp to bypass the narrows of Bath that was proposed in 1967, but finally rejected in 1998 due to the resistance of a coalition of environmentalists and farmers.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
province of Zeeland
Zeeland
Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...
. It is located in the municipality of Hulst
Hulst
Hulst is a municipality and a city in southwestern Netherlands in the east of Zeelandic Flanders.- History :Hulst received city rights in the 12th century....
, about 5 km east of Kloosterzande
Kloosterzande
Kloosterzande is a town in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Hulst, and lies about 24 km southwest of Bergen op Zoom.In 2001, the town of Kloosterzande had 2743 inhabitants and in 2010 almost 3280 inhabitants...
on the dyke of the Westerschelde.
The name of the hamlet refers to an old pier to the north, "Ten Ballen", used by a ferry. When the village of Hontenisse
Hontenisse
Hontenisse is a former municipality in the southwestern Netherlands, in the municipality of Hulst in the province of Zeeland...
disappeared in a flood in 1509, this pier and some of the remaining dykes formed a corner ("hoek"), named "Ballenhouck". The pier disappeared into the Westerschelde around 1600, but the name remained.
According to the 19th century historian A.J. van der Aa, Baalhoek (or "Balhoek") was the only settlement in the Kruispolder, a polder
Polder
A polder is a low-lying tract of land enclosed by embankments known as dikes, that forms an artificial hydrological entity, meaning it has no connection with outside water other than through manually-operated devices...
that was reclaimed from the sea in 1616. In the middle of the 19th century, it consisted of 19 houses, and had a population of more than 70. All of the houses of the hamlet were located on or near the sea dyke. There was a little harbour here. Around the harbour, a new hamlet Kruispolderhaven
Kruispolderhaven
Kruispolderhaven is a rural village located in the eastern Zeeuws-Vlaanderen portion of the Dutch province of Zeeland. Its name originates from its location at the eastern tip of the Kruispolder, a "crossed" polder adjacent to a seaport on the southern bank of the Western Scheldt...
arose.
Nowadays, the hamlet is the smallest of the three hamlets in the Kruispolder, including Kruisdorp and Kruispolderhaven
Kruispolderhaven
Kruispolderhaven is a rural village located in the eastern Zeeuws-Vlaanderen portion of the Dutch province of Zeeland. Its name originates from its location at the eastern tip of the Kruispolder, a "crossed" polder adjacent to a seaport on the southern bank of the Western Scheldt...
. Together, these three settlements are also named "Kruispolder".
Baalhoek is mostly associated with the "Baalhoekkanaal" (Baalhoek Canal), a plan for a shortcut to the harbour of Antwerp to bypass the narrows of Bath that was proposed in 1967, but finally rejected in 1998 due to the resistance of a coalition of environmentalists and farmers.