Zoutelande
Encyclopedia
Zoutelande is a village
in the southwest Netherlands
. It is located in the municipality
of Veere
, Zeeland
, between Dishoek
and Westkapelle
on the former island Walcheren
. On 1 January 2005 it had 1,556 inhabitants. Originally, Zoutelande was mainly an agricultural
village. The village's character changed slowly into a tourist resort as the demand for beach
recreation
rose from about the middle of the 19th century.
Zoutelande was a separate municipality until 1966, when it became a part of the new municipality Valkenisse
.
Nowadays, tourism
is Zoutelande's most important source of existence. Zoutelande, together with the beach of Dishoek and Westkapelle, are often called "Zeeland's Rivièra", after the famous south-coast of France
. It is one of Zeeland's most-visited coasts, and one of the few places in the Netherlands where the beach faces south. Plenty of rooms, studios, bungalows and apartments are available to thousands of visitors every summer; most of the tourists are of German
origin, although other nationalities are also widely represented. The remaining agriculture in the area benefits of the demand for accommodation
in the form of mini-campings. Bicycle
-rental, beachfront establishments, hotels, B&B
s, shops
and a nice boulevard
are all to be found in and around the village.
Like Domburg
, Zoutelande was a favorite among Dutch painters, who praised its sky. It is said that the reflection of the sun on the water colors the sky more brilliantly and transparently than anywhere.
s, among them the Dutch Reformed Church with a tower in which fragments of late 13th century brick gothic
can be found. In about 1500 the church was formed into a hall church
. In 1573 the church was returned to its original state through war damage during the Eighty Years' War. It is estimated that the tower and church got their present shape in about 1738. In 1950 a restoration took place. The parish of the church is connected through legend with Saint Willibrord
.
Unfortunately an old monument, the Willibrord Well, was lost due to the building of the present sea dyke. The well, created by Willibrord and dating from the sixteenth century, according to the legend contained healing water. Because of the building of a new dyke in the 1960s, slightly further inland than the old row of dune
s, part of the town had to be demolished. This is the reason why the church, which originally stood in the center of the village, is now almost at the foot of the dyke. In 1984 a new well was built to remember the legend.
Zoutelande also has a windmill
. It is a round, brick-built corn mill that originates from 1722.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the southwest Netherlands
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...
. It is located in the municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
of Veere
Veere
Veere is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands, on Walcheren island in the province of Zeeland.-Population centres :Aagtekerke , Biggekerke , Domburg , Gapinge , Grijpskerke , Koudekerke , Meliskerke , Oostkapelle , Serooskerke , Veere , Vrouwenpolder , Westkapelle...
, 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...
, between Dishoek
Dishoek
Dishoek is a town in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Veere, and lies about 4 km west of Vlissingen.In 2001, the town of Dishoek had 181 inhabitants. The built-up area of the town was 0.15 km², and contained 83 residences.The statistical area "Dishoek",...
and Westkapelle
Westkapelle (Netherlands)
Westkapelle is a small city in the municipality of Veere on the island Walcheren, in the province Zeeland of the Netherlands. On 1 January 2005, it had a population of 2,671...
on the former island Walcheren
Walcheren
thumb|right|250px|Campveer Tower in Veere, built in 1500Walcheren is a former island in the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands at the mouth of the Scheldt estuary. It lies between the Oosterschelde in the north and the Westerschelde in the south and is roughly the shape of a rhombus...
. On 1 January 2005 it had 1,556 inhabitants. Originally, Zoutelande was mainly an agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
village. The village's character changed slowly into a tourist resort as the demand for beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
recreation
Recreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun"...
rose from about the middle of the 19th century.
Zoutelande was a separate municipality until 1966, when it became a part of the new municipality Valkenisse
Valkenisse (Walcheren)
Valkenisse is a former municipality in the Dutch province of Zeeland, on the former island of Walcheren.Valkenisse was created in 1966 in a merger of Biggekerke, Koudekerke and Zoutelande, and existed until 1997, when it was merged into Veere....
.
Nowadays, tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
is Zoutelande's most important source of existence. Zoutelande, together with the beach of Dishoek and Westkapelle, are often called "Zeeland's Rivièra", after the famous south-coast of France
French Riviera
The Côte d'Azur, pronounced , often known in English as the French Riviera , is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France, also including the sovereign state of Monaco...
. It is one of Zeeland's most-visited coasts, and one of the few places in the Netherlands where the beach faces south. Plenty of rooms, studios, bungalows and apartments are available to thousands of visitors every summer; most of the tourists are of German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
origin, although other nationalities are also widely represented. The remaining agriculture in the area benefits of the demand for accommodation
Lodging
Lodging is a type of residential accommodation. People who travel and stay away from home for more than a day need lodging for sleep, rest, safety, shelter from cold temperatures or rain, storage of luggage and access to common household functions.Lodgings may be self catering in which case no...
in the form of mini-campings. Bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
-rental, beachfront establishments, hotels, B&B
Bed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
s, shops
Retailing
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
and a nice boulevard
Boulevard
A Boulevard is type of road, usually a wide, multi-lane arterial thoroughfare, divided with a median down the centre, and roadways along each side designed as slow travel and parking lanes and for bicycle and pedestrian usage, often with an above-average quality of landscaping and scenery...
are all to be found in and around the village.
Like Domburg
Domburg
Domburg is a seaside resort on the North Sea, on the northwest coast of Walcheren in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Veere, and lies about 11 km northwest of the city of Middelburg, the provincial capital.-Demographics:...
, Zoutelande was a favorite among Dutch painters, who praised its sky. It is said that the reflection of the sun on the water colors the sky more brilliantly and transparently than anywhere.
Monuments
Zoutelande has several monumentMonument
A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or simply as an example of historic architecture...
s, among them the Dutch Reformed Church with a tower in which fragments of late 13th century brick gothic
Brick Gothic
Brick Gothic is a specific style of Gothic architecture common in Northern Europe, especially in Northern Germany and the regions around the Baltic Sea that do not have natural rock resources. The buildings are essentially built from bricks...
can be found. In about 1500 the church was formed into a hall church
Hall church
A hall church is a church with nave and side aisles of approximately equal height, often united under a single immense roof. The term was first coined in the mid-19th century by the pioneering German art historian Wilhelm Lübke....
. In 1573 the church was returned to its original state through war damage during the Eighty Years' War. It is estimated that the tower and church got their present shape in about 1738. In 1950 a restoration took place. The parish of the church is connected through legend with Saint Willibrord
Willibrord
__notoc__Willibrord was a Northumbrian missionary saint, known as the "Apostle to the Frisians" in the modern Netherlands...
.
Unfortunately an old monument, the Willibrord Well, was lost due to the building of the present sea dyke. The well, created by Willibrord and dating from the sixteenth century, according to the legend contained healing water. Because of the building of a new dyke in the 1960s, slightly further inland than the old row of dune
Dune
In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by wind. Dunes occur in different forms and sizes, formed by interaction with the wind. Most kinds of dunes are longer on the windward side where the sand is pushed up the dune and have a shorter "slip face" in the lee of the wind...
s, part of the town had to be demolished. This is the reason why the church, which originally stood in the center of the village, is now almost at the foot of the dyke. In 1984 a new well was built to remember the legend.
Zoutelande also has a windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
. It is a round, brick-built corn mill that originates from 1722.
External links
- Zoutelande Tourist Information Map of the former municipality, around 1868.