Just ask an average Dutchman to mention a town or a village on the island of Noord-Beveland and almost for sure you won't get an answer. On Walcheren he can certainly mention Middelburg and Vlissingen, on Zuid-Beveland probably Goes and on Schouwen-Duiveland Zierikzee or Renesse. But Noord-Beveland?... No, sorry!

Ask an average Dutchman if he ever has paid a visit to the island of Noord-Beveland and almost certainly your question will be answered in the negative. Unless he is a yachting or a diving enthusiast, as this kind of people generally knows that Noord-Beveland is one of the places to be. But there's also a good chance that his answer is -unwittingly- wide of the truth, as many travelers have actually been on the island without being aware of it, for instance while on their way from Rotterdam to Middelburg or Goes. Noord-Beveland has become an important, but little remarkable link in the new traffic routes here in Zeeland that came into being with the realization of the Delta Project.

How come that this island, looking on the map like a jigsaw puzzle piece perfectly fitting into the hollow formed by Zuid-Beveland and Walcheren, has remained unknown for so long? Most probably because it doesn't really have many striking features to offer. Exciting towns with a long and rich history, fashionable seaside resorts, cultural events, large-scale tourist attractions, you will look for those in vain here. But does that mean that Noord-Beveland can better be ignored completely? Well, certainly not! It's green here, spacious and so lovely quiet that for these reasons only it is already worth a visit.

Luctor et emergo

The story of the development of Noord-Beveland is closely connected to that of the whole delta area and can concisely be summarized in the Latin aphorism that became the motto of the province of Zeeland: "Luctor et emergo" or "I struggle and emerge". A history that is almost completely dominated by the struggle of man against the water. A battle that was fought because man, at any cost, chose to live, grow food and trade in this region and was not daunted by the destructive power of the water that frequently annihilated all of his work.

If that battle had never been fought and nature had been allowed to take its course unhindered, the delta area would now have looked much the same as at the time when the Romans arrived here, at the beginning of our era. A coastal barrier, at several places broken by the estuaries of rivers flowing into the sea, and behind it wet peat land criss-crossed with meandering streams, and occasional agricultural settlements on the higher grounds. A continuously changing landscape where wind and water had free play. What exactly it looked liked will never be known, as no maps exist of that period.

We do know that the Romans, by the end of the second century, had established several permanent settlements in the delta, particularly in the area of the present islands of Walcheren and Noord-Beveland, where they were trading with what is known as England now. On two different places remains have been found of temples that were dedicated to the Roman goddess Nehalennia: near the town of Domburg at Walcheren and near Colijnsplaat on the present island of Noord-Beveland. Of the latter settlement the name has passed down the ages: Ganuenta, the oldest place-name in the province of Zeeland.

By the end of the third century the area became largely depopulated, probably as a result of several successive heavy floods and of raids by German tribes coming from the east. Very little is known about the centuries that followed, but we do know that it took at least until the 8th century before there was evidence of permanently inhabited settlements in the area of the present island of Noord-Beveland again. But is was still risky business to live here. Again and again floodings caused severe damage and many victims among people and cattle. It could not go on that way.

At the beginning of the 11th century the first attempts were made to put up refuge mounds and dikes to protect hearth and home from the water. 
The effect was only limited. After a heavy storm surge in 1134 again had made numerous victims among the steadily growing population it was decided that the battle against the water could only be won if there would be better cooperation and coordination when building dikes. It is at this period in time that the first district water boards were founded. Around 1200 AD the islands of Walcheren, Schouwen and Duiveland were almost completely protected by dikes, as well as larger parts of the present islands of Tholen and of Noord- and Zuid-Beveland.
 

As the map alongside shows, Noord-Beveland around 1300 AD looked much different from nowadays. The actual island with that name was quite small, was situated north of the present Noord-Beveland and mainly consisted of dunes. There were three more larger islands with the names Wolfartsdijc and Bewesten and Beoosten Wijtfliet (West and East of Wijtfliet) which were completely surrounded by dikes, together with several salt marshes outside the dikes. As already mentioned on the Zuid-Beveland page, the diking activities were mostly initiated by the monastery of St. Bavo of Ghent in Flanders, possessing most of the land in the area. It is presumed that 'Beveland' is a derivative of the name of this saint.

The island developed prosperously and grew in size as a result of ongoing reclamation of salt marshes outside the dikes. By building discharge sluices excess water could be drained off at low tide to lower the groundwater level in the polders. Gradually the groundwater freshened, causing the salt marsh vegetation being replaced by lush meadows well fit for cattle breeding. Primitive settlements developed into real villages like Kortgene, Kats and Wissenkerke. Parishes were founded and churches were built.

But in 1530 it went all wrong again. One of the heaviest storm surges of all times, the earlier-mentioned Saint Felix flood of the 5th of November of that year ('Quade Saterdach' or Bad Saturday) lashed the delta area, caused massive havoc and claimed thousands of casualties. Particularly Noord-Beveland was struck hard; the dikes didn't hold and the island was completely flooded. Barely two years later the All Saints flood of the 1st of November 1532 followed; destroying everything that still remained in the flooded villages of Noord-Beveland. Only the church towers of Wissenkerke and Kortgene resisted the water and remained standing on the deserted salt marshes for years, as desolate remnants of past glory.
 

Zeeland around 1300 AD
(published by the Zeeuwse Boekhandel at Zierikzee)

Destruction was so complete that for a long time no attempts were made to repair the dikes, reclaim the land and reconstruct the villages. It took until 1598 before early pioneers returned to the drowned island to rebuild the dikes, firstly on the eastern side where, about at the same place of the former villages, Kats and Colijnsplaat were established. In the course of the 17th century the dike-builders steadily worked their way westward and around 1685 the reclamation of Noord-Beveland was about complete.

The Eighty Years War, which caused lots of trouble on its neighboring islands of Walcheren and Zuid-Beveland, completely passed over Noord-Beveland as most of that period the island was drowned and uninhabited. But also in the following years and centuries, while Noord-Beveland grew to its present shape and size as a result of ongoing diking activities, there was not much happening. Agriculture flourished, with madder and later on sugar beets as its major produce. Colijnsplaat became an important port from where regular barge services transported cargo to the surrounding islands. But because of the isolated location of Noord-Beveland none of the villages on the island developed into a more important town.

That same isolated position was the main reason that, until far into the 20th century, Noord-Beveland remained oblivious of most of the world events. When by the end of the 19th century several of the Zeeland islands like Zuid-Beveland, Walcheren and Sint Philipsland became connected with the mainland and from 1872 one could even travel by train all the way to Vlissingen, Noord-Beveland remained a remote corner where it was difficult to get to.
 

Zeeland around 1650
(source: ThinkQuest)

Also the Second World War had less impact on Noord-Beveland than on many other places, like for instance Walcheren. Yet it became a bit tense during the fall of 1944. In November of that year Noord-Beveland was liberated by the allied forces but Schouwen-Duiveland, across the Eastern Scheldt, was still controlled by the Germans. As a result, for a while the island became part of the frontline and had to provide accommodation for large numbers of allied troops. Happily it didn't come to violent combat, with possible fatal consequences for the local population.

The flood disaster of February 1st, 1953 did not pass by Noord-Beveland, although the island, with 50 fatalities, was struck less hard than other places like Schouwen-Duiveland or Tholen. Almost all victims fell in the southern part where, in the area of the town of Kortgene, the dikes collapsed in a couple of places, resulting in several polders being flooded.
 

Zeeland around 1930
(source: Kleine Bosatlas)
 

The realization of the Delta Project brought about radical changes for Noord-Beveland. In barely twenty years no less than four new cross-channel connections transformed the island from a distant remote corner into the heart of the province of Zeeland. Firstly, at the eastern side of the island the Zandkreek inlet was closed by a 830 meter-long dam. The completion of that dam, on May 3rd of 1960, meant the end of Noord-Beveland being an island. The ferry service between Wolphaartsdijk and Kortgene, for centuries the only link of Noord-Beveland with the outside world, was discontinued after the new traffic route along the Zandkreek Dam had been opened on October 1st of that same year.

In the following year the Veerse Gat (Veere Inlet), on the west side of Noord-Beveland, was dammed and now the island was also directly connected to Walcheren. This was a much bigger job than the closure of the Zandkreek inlet, as the Veerse Gat was considerably wider and tidal currents were much stronger. To avoid that these current would become stronger and stronger while the construction of the dam progressed, permeable caissons were adopted for the first time in the project. These were huge hollow concrete bins at the size of a seven-storey building, which had been constructed elsewhere and were transported afloat to their position in the dam, where they were sunken down on the seabed. The water still could flow right through the caissons and only after the last one was put into position the steel gates in the caissons were lowered to close the dam definitively. The positioning of the final caisson on April 21st of 1961, in the presence of Queen Juliana, was reported live on Dutch television with images being made from the air, a unique event for that time.

This completed the realization of the so-called Three Islands Plan that dated already from the thirties, connecting Walcheren and Noord- and Zuid-Beveland with each other. It was only the beginning, as four years later, on the 15th of December 1965, the Zeeland Bridge was opened. This bridge, with a length of over 5 kilometers the longest in Europe at the time of its completion, spans the Eastern Scheldt and links Noord-Beveland with Schouwen-Duiveland. The Zeeland Bridge was in fact not part of the Delta Project, but its construction was initiated by the Province of Zeeland with the aim of reducing considerably the travel time between Rotterdam at one side and Middelburg and Vlissingen at the other side.

Finally, on October 4th of 1986, the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier, the tailpiece of the Delta Project in Zeeland, was inaugurated by Queen Beatrix. More on this masterpiece of hydraulic engineering on the Neeltje Jans page. As a result of all this there are nowadays two main traffic routes running across Noord-Beveland: at the west side the N57 along the storm surge barrier and the Veerse Dam, and at the east side the N256 along the Zeeland Bridge and the Zandkreek Dam. Additionally, on the island itself the two routes are interconnected by the N255, which makes Noord-Beveland a real junction of routes in the regional traffic. As a result, most visitors to Noord-Beveland rush over the island in just a few minutes, without having seen anything of it.
 

Satellite image of Noord-Beveland (source: NLR / ESA)
 

I am approaching Noord-Beveland from Walcheren, so along the Veerse Dam. Although the Veerse Gat inlet is almost three kilometers wide here you don't really get the impression of going to an island. That's because on the core of the caisson barrier of 1961 a broad dike body has been constructed, together with some nice beaches on the North Sea side. These are hidden from view by a slope grown over with marram grass, making the Dam looking just ike an extension of the normal coastline, which was exactly the intention of the builders. But that's why the Veerse Dam doesn't look very impressive; the real magnitude of most of the Delta Works is revealed only when they are viewed from the air.

My first stop on Noord-Beveland is at Kamperland, the most westerly of the villages on the island. At the extreme west point is the island's sole dunes and beach area, the Kamperlandse Duintjes, adjacent to the new beaches that were formed along the Veerse Dam. The village itself is situated on the shore of the lake Veerse Meer, behind the Dam and right opposite the town of Veere on Walcheren. For years there was a ferry service between the two places, reason why Kamperland's main street is named Veerweg (Ferry Road). Nowadays the ferry only runs during the tourist season.
 

Nowadays Kamperland is a popular tourist resort with a large marina and several holiday parks. But there's not much more worth seeing here, mainly as a result of the village's relatively short history, so I leave the place in southerly direction along the -of course- Saint Felix Road. It runs along the shore of the Veerse Meer lake to the Goudplaat (Gold Shoal), the southernmost point of Noord-Beveland.

During the ride I get an idea of how the realization of the Delta Project has impacted this area. After the Zandkreek and the Veerse Gat had been dammed the former inlets formed the Veerse Meer, a lake which, with an area of 2,000 hectares and a shore length of 55 kilometers, offers almost ideal circumstances for water sports and related activities. It's not surprising that every village along the lake nowadays has a well-equipped marina.
 

Probably more than anything else the Goudplaat reflects the radical changes that took place here during the last half century. Once this was a bare sandbank in the salt waters of the Veerse Gat, submerged at high tide and standing clear of the water at low tide. Nowadays it is a tranquil nature reserve covered with lush vegetation where, as I have been told, some specimens of the very rare Przewalski horse would be around, but I have not spotted them during my walk on the Goudplaat.

There are also some islands lying here in the Veerse Meer with intriguing names like Aardbeieneiland (Strawberry Island) or Haringvreter (Herring Eater). Islands that clamour for a closer exploration, but unfortunately I can't get there without a boat. To Haringvreter, a name that reminds of the days when it was still a sandbank where seals liked to hang around, excursions seem to be arranged from time to time, but I don't have the time to join one. Seals are no longer seen here since long, of course, but nowadays the island seems to be inhabited by a herd of wild horses. Aardbeieneiland -I haven't yet been able to find out where its name comes from- seems to be a rather impenetrable jungle. It really sounds exciting!
 

After my relaxing walk around the Goudplaat I leave the area and set out for Kortgene, the only place on the island that ever was granted the privilege of a town. This is the part of Noord-Beveland that suffered most from the flood disaster of 1953. After the sea dike had collapsed at two different places in the early morning of February 1st the water poured in. The inner dikes of the polders couldn't stop the water either and almost the whole of the island's southern part was flooded. All casualties caused by the disaster on Noord-Beveland, 50 in total, fell in the area around the town of Kortgene.

The poor condition of the dikes in this area put the the so-called Three Islands Project, which dated from thirty years earlier, high on the priority list of the Delta Project and it became one of the first parts to be realized. By completely closing off  the Veerse Gat and Zandbreek inlets with two strong dams with a joint length of less than 4 kilometers the need to reinforce all of the 55 kilometers of dikes alongside these inlets would disappear, making this a cheap and safe solution. Additionally, the plan offered the engineers a unique opportunity to gain the experience needed for closing off much wider inlets like the Haringvliet and the Grevelingen.
 

The large modern homes at the harbor, many of them with a not really cheap-looking yacht moored at the private landing stage, together with the relatively large number of BMWs and Audis on the drives, make it likely that the influence of the 'outside world' only has increased since that time, which certainly will not have had a positive effect on the average godliness of the local population. For nowadays Zeeland is Leisure Land, mainly focused on entertainment on, at and in the water, with everything which this involves. Shops opened on Sunday, bars and discos, barely-dressed tourists in the street and even nude bathing, it will cause many a strong-religious local to put a doubtful face, despite all the cash that tourism is bringing in.
 

I don't spend much more time here and head for Colijnsplaat, one of the oldest human settlements in the Zeeland delta. As early as in the second century there was a Roman settlement here with the name Ganuenta. A temple that was dedicated to the goddess Nehalennia stood here, of which about 200 remains like sculptures and altar stones were dredged up from the waters of the Eastern Scheldt during the past decades. The goddess Nehalennia was associated with fertility and abundance, but was also known as the patroness of the sea-faring, which may explain her popularity among the Romans in this region. Also near the present town of Domburg on the island of Walcheren there has been a sanctuary that was dedicated to her.

Today's Colijnsplaat was founded in 1598 and was carefully designed, with a rectangular layout of streets. Everything was planned in detail in advance, from the situation of the streets to the construction materials to be used, which was very special at that time. Important for the further development of Colijnsplaat was the harbor, which was opened in 1599. From here the agricultural products of Noord-Beveland were shipped to the neighboring islands and also the ferry service to Zierikzee across the Eastern Scheldt started here. With the opening of the Zeeland Bridge in 1965 this ferry service became redundant and was discontinued.

In 1960 a modern fishing port was built here to provide a new home base to  the fishing fleet of Veere, which had to move away as a result of the definitive enclosure of the Veerse Gat inlet. Up till then fishing had not played a part of any importance on Noord-Beveland, which is remarkable for an island surrounded by the sea. Nowadays Colijnsplaat has its own fish market, with the highest volume of shrimp trade in the Netherlands.

While walking through the Voorstraat (Main Street) I suddenly stumble across the Solex Museum, completely dedicated to this once immensely popular motor-assisted pedal cycle, with its motor driving the front wheel by means of a roller on the tire. During the fifties of the past century it was mainly used by elderly ladies, but later it became a kind of a cult vehicle for alternative youngsters. Nowadays it is a popular collector's item for obsessed Solex enthusiasts. Unfortunately the museum is closed, otherwise I certainly would have entered to take a look.
 

After completing my walk around Colijnsplaat I am in doubt. In fact I should go back in westerly direction, to Wissenkerke, the administrative 'capital' of Noord-Beveland since 1975, where I haven't been yet. On the other hand the Zeeland Bridge is nearby, and the tempting prospect of having a cool drink at one of the sunny terraces in the town center of Zierikzee, and then quickly return home before the evening rush hour begins.

The Zeeland Bridge, spanning the Eastern Scheldt with its 50 elegant concrete arcs has become the showpiece of modern Zeeland, even more than the Delta Works. With 5,022 meter it still is the longest bridge in the Netherlands. It lets you drive by car from Noord-Beveland to Schouwen-Duiveland in less than five minutes. But if you really want to know how long that bridge is you should 'do' it in opposite direction, on a bike, that is to say, with the stiff southwester that is normally blowing here and an occasional rain shower right in your face!

Today that doesn't matter, the sun is shining abundantly and Zierikzee draws. Wissenkerke will have to wait a while, until a next visit...
 

More about Noord-Beveland and related information

www.noord-beveland.nl
Website of the Municipality of Noord-Beveland. Dutch language only.

www.vvvzeeland.nl
Website of the Regional VVV (Tourist Office) Zeeland. English, German and French language versions available.

www.zeeland.nl
Official website of the Province of Zeeland, to which Zuid-Beveland belongs. Dutch language, with some content in English, French and German.

www.startkabel.nl/k/noord-beveland
Portal site for Noord-Beveland. Dutch language only.

www.deltawerken.com
Website about the Delta Project by the Delta Works Foundation Online. Dutch and English versions.

www.zeeuwsarchief.nl/strijdtegenhetwater
Website of the Rijksarchief (Dutch National Archives) about the flood disaster of 1953 and the Delta Works. Dutch language only.
 

June 2005