Who takes a quick glance at the map of the delta area in the southwest of the Netherlands will be directly struck by the very peculiar shape of the peninsula formed by the former islands of Zuid-Beveland and Walcheren. It looks a bit like a deflated balloon, connected to the mainland with its mouthpiece. That shape is a direct result of the influence of the Scheldt river that here, in the Zeeland delta, mingles its water with that of the rivers Rhine and Maas.

That shape has not always been like what we see on the map nowadays. On the contrary; historical maps of the Zeeland delta show a totally different picture every hundred years or so. On places where there is land in one century the map may show water a century later, or the other way around. Small islands and flats grow together to larger ones and, some decades later, appear to be torn apart by a devastating storm surge, or even completely disappeared. This process has come to an end as late as in the 20th century, mainly as a result of the realization of the Delta project. Since then the appearance of the Zeeland islands, including that typical shape of Zuid-Beveland, is more or less fixed.

Through the centuries one thing remained unchanged: the Scheldt river flowing around Zuid-Beveland on all sides and thus making it a river island, lacking the beaches and the dunes that made other islands so popular with the tourists. Its connection with the mainland, established in the second half of the 19th century and cutting off the Oosterschelde (Eastern Scheldt) from the main stream, changed nothing to that. The character of Zuid-Beveland is still determined by the river.

Shaped by sea, river and man

The first evidence of human presence in the Zeeland delta area dates as far back as 150,000 years ago, as can be concluded from the finding of a stone celt near Cadzand in what now is called the Zeeuws-Vlaanderen (Zeeland Flanders) region. Other findings show that at least about 4500 BC there have been dairy farming activities in the region.

What the area exactly looked like by then is unknown, as there are no maps available from that period. But we can imagine an idea of the landscape: a coastal barrier with beaches and dunes, broken on several places by river estuaries, and behind it the wet peat land criss-crossed with brooks and creeks and agricultural settlements on the more elevated grounds.
 

That's how the Romans must have found the region when they arrived here at the beginning of our era. Proves of their presence are abundant. Although they considered the river Rhine to be the actual border of the Roman Empire, the archeological findings definitely prove the existence of permanent Roman settlements in the area of the present province of Zeeland. There was even overseas trading, for instance at the location of the present town of Domburg on the island of Walcheren. Presumably Walcheren and Zuid-Beveland did not yet exist by then, certainly not known by those names, but we cannot be sure about that. As said earlier, geographical evidence in the form of maps are non-existent.

About the period following the Roman epoch is very little known. Probably heavy storm surges during the third century put an end to habitation for a long time, apart from some settlements in the dunes. It will last until the 8th century before permanent habitation and trade activities are spotted again, once more in the area of the present island of Walcheren. It is also certain that a century later the Vikings visited these coasts, with more or less peaceful intentions. To put up against these raids castles were built near several places; place-names like Middelburg, Domburg and Souburg still remind of the fact (the Dutch word 'burg' stands for castle).
 

From the 11th century onwards man started to engage with the water and gradually land reclamation on the islands in the delta area took shape. Impoldering often happened on the authority of Flemish churches and monasteries, which owned much land in the delta. This might explain the name 'Beveland', being a reference to the monks of the monastery of Saint Bavo in Ghent who took the initiative for the first land reclamations in the area.

By then the larger islands like Zuid-Beveland, Walcheren, Schouwen and Duiveland were already present in rudimentary form. With the ongoing land reclamation they grew larger and closer towards each other, but that did not go without a tough struggle. As mentioned before storm surges frequently annihilated much of the work of man and complete reclaimed areas were swallowed again by the water, sometimes for a long period or even forever.

Gradually man was getting more grip on this stubborn land. Population was growing and several of the agricultural settlements developed into major market places and trade centers. Middelburg on the island of Walcheren got its privilege of a town as early as in 1217; on the island of Zuid-Beveland Reimerswaal followed suit in 1374 and Goes in 1405. During this period Holland and Flanders disputed control over the Zeeland delta, a struggle that finally was decided to the advantage of Holland.

The 15th century was a time of relative prosperity when trade and industry, agriculture and fishery flourished. The 16th century, however, brought about war, sickness, disaster and economic decline. During the Eighty Year's War (the Dutch independence war) Zeeland was a disputed territory and the Dutch and the Spaniards fought several bitter battles here, causing destruction, slaughter, plundering and rape. Additionally the region was afflicted with the plague during the first decades of this century, causing the death of many thousands of inhabitants, also on Zuid-Beveland.

Finally the island was also struck by a number of successive disasters. A fire destroyed about half of the town of Reimerswaal in 1520 and the same occurred in 1554 in Goes, reducing even three-quarters of the city to ashes. Several heavy floodings caused much damage, trouble and many victims. Some of the worst were the Saint Felix flood of the 5th of November of the year 1530, a day that became known as 'Quade Saterdach' (Bad Saturday), and the All Saints flood of November the 1st of 1532 when, according to a chronicler, herring were swimming around the altar in the church of Reimerswaal. It would not be the last time to occur and in the end the whole town, together with a large surrounding area, would disappear below the waves of the sea forever.
 

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

In 1574 Middelburg definitively fell into the hands of the Dutch headed by William of Orange and three years later Goes on Zuid-Beveland followed suit, which brought an end to the acts of war on the island. When the city of Antwerp was captured by the Spaniards in 1585 and the Dutch reacted with the hermetical closure of the Scheldt estuary for all shipping many Flemings belonging to the upper middle class moved their activities to Zeeland, giving a major impulse to social and cultural life in the region. A new age of prosperity dawned for Zeeland, which still can be seen from the abundance of monumental buildings in towns like Middelburg, Veere, Vlissingen, Zierikzee and Goes.

In the course of the 17th century the center of trade and industry in the Dutch Republic shifted from Zeeland to Holland. Cities like Amsterdam, Haarlem, Leiden and Delft gradually surpassed the Zeeland towns, which were also impeded by their isolated location on the poorly accessible islands. This geographical aspect would have a restraining influence on the further development of Zeeland until deep into the 20th century.

The 18th century was marked by a continuing decline. Zeeland became impoverished and fell back on agriculture and fishing as the major means of support. During the French occupation of the Netherlands at the turn of the century shipping traffic on the Scheldt was closed down, causing trade to languish completely. The leaving of the French and the subsequent establishment of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815 initially did not bring much improvement to the situation. In the towns of Zeeland many of the signs of passed glory were pulled down.
 

Zeeland around 1650
(source: ThinkQuest)

The coming of the railway in the final quarter of the 19th century, particularly pulling the towns of Middelburg and Vlissingen out of their isolation, spurred new developments in the area. In 1867 the Kreekrak, the waterway between the Eastern and the Western Scheldt separating Zuid-Beveland van the mainland of Brabant, was closed by a dam and a year later the railway between Bergen op Zoom and Goes could be opened. It made Zuid-Beveland the first of the Zeeland islands that was linked to the mainland and thus lost its island status.

In 1871 the Sloe, the water between Zuid-Beveland and Walcheren, was dammed, forging both islands together so that also Walcheren was no longer an island. In 1872 the railway had been extended to Middelburg and Vlissingen, linking the two major towns of Zeeland to the national railway network. Vlissingen got a new  where the shipyard De Schelde settled, which would grow into a major builder of naval vessels. Around the dammed and largely drained Sloe waterway a vast industrial estate would develop in the 20th century.

These developments were looked at with Argus' eyes by the Belgians, who had released itself from the Netherlands after a short revolt in 1830 and officially became recognized as an independent nation in 1839. The Dutch, however, were obliged by international agreements to provide Belgium with an appropriate waterway between Antwerp and the Rhine. As a result a new canal had to be built, right through the island of Zuid-Beveland. Work started in 1853 and in 1866, amply before the final closure of the Kreekrak, it was finished. This Canal through Zuid-Beveland still exists; it runs dead-straight in north-south direction from Hansweert on the Western Scheldt to Wemeldinge on the Eastern Scheldt, a distance of about 9 kilometer.
 

Zeeland around 1930
Source: Kleine Bosatlas
 

The most recent flood disaster of 1 February 1953, which killed 1836 people, also struck hard on Zuid-Beveland. Dikes broke on several places causing large areas of land to be flooded, particularly in the 'Neck' of the peninsula between the Canal and the mainland, as well as in the 'Pocket' of Zuid-Beveland. The number of people drowned on Zuid-Beveland totaled 96 and in particular the village of Kruiningen, with 62 casualties, was relatively struck hard.

The disaster resulted into the accelerated realization of the Deltaplan, a mega project aimed at protecting the delta area against future storm surges by closing the major inlets between the islands with dams. One of the first actual results was the damming of the Zandkreek, the water between Noord- en Zuid-Beveland, finally joining the two Bevelands together for the first time in modern history.

The tailpiece of the Delta project in Zeeland was the construction of the storm surge barrier in the Oosterschelde (Eastern Scheldt), which was completed in 1986. This construction is still regarded as the ultimate in hydraulic engineering. By opting for an open barrier with movable gates the saltwater tidal environment could be preserved. For Zuid-Beveland this was crucial, as with a permanent closure of the Eastern Scheldt the important mussel and oyster culture at Yerseke would have been doomed to die. More information on the Oosterschelde barrier can be found on the page of the island of Neeltje Jans.

The Delta project still had an additional effect on Zuid-Beveland. After many years of negotiations the Belgian desire for a shorter and faster link between Antwerp and the Rhine finally could be awarded. In 1975 the Schelde-Rijnkanaal (Scheldt-Rhine Canal) was opened, a 38 km-long inland waterway directly connecting the docks of Antwerp with the locks of Volkerak in the northern delta area. It required cutting through the Zuid-Beveland and Sint Philipsland peninsulas, in fact causing them to become islands again in a certain way, though connected to the mainland by several bridges spanning the canal.
 

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

A one-day visit to Zuid-Beveland cannot produce much more than a rather superficial impression of this former island. And when this one day begins with abundant rainfall chances are high that this impression will be predominantly grey-tinted. Fortunately the weather improves somewhat in the course of the day, otherwise Zuid-Beveland would have been seriously deprived as there is enough to see and enjoy here. However, the sheer size of the island and the available amount of time force me to make choices regarding the places to be visit, limiting the chances of ending up somewhere as it happens, which often leads to the most amusing discoveries. Sorry, that will have to wait until a next visit.

My visit to Zuid-Beveland begins where the island itself begins: on the bridge over the Scheldt-Rhine Canal near the village of Bath. Here Belgium is very near; looking from the bridge in southerly direction the docks of Antwerp and the cooling towers of the nuclear power plant at the village of Doel can be clearly distinguished. The canal is about 120 meters wide here and that's not much less than the Kreekrak, the old waterway between the Western and the Eastern Scheldt ever was, as can be seen on historical maps. It could be said that the present situation here is much like that of before 1871, when Zuid-Beveland was still a real island.
 

< click on an image to enlarge

My first destination on Zuid-Beveland is the little village of Kruiningen on the Western Scheldt. Not because there is much worth seeing there, apart from the 14th-century Protestant church. Kruiningen is particularly known because of the former ferry service to Perkpolder in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen (Zeeland Flanders), a service that held an even worse reliability record than the Anna Jacobapolder-Zijpe ferry between Sint Philipsland  and Schouwen-Duiveland. Not surprising, as the Western Scheldt was and still is a very wide waterway with heavy shipping traffic where strong tidal currents, shoals and the wind can cause treacherous circumstances. Storm, fog, too high or, on the contrary, too low water levels and even floating ice were the most common reasons to abandon the service.  

When the Kruiningen-Perkpolder service was mentioned once again in the radio news bulletins, this was invariably bad news for travellers to and from Zeeuws-Vlaanderen. They had to make a long detour to the only other car ferry service crossing the Western Scheldt, between Vlissingen and Breskens (hoping that it was still running) or an even longer detour via Antwerp in Belgium. It is not surprising that the Province of Zeeland has been arguing the necessity of a permanent connection across the Western Scheldt for many decades, to remedy the isolation of Zeeuws-Vlaanderen. 

However, it wasn't an easy job. Of course the Western Scheldt could not be closed permanently with a dam like was done with other inlets in Zeeland, because of the shipping to and from Antwerp. The Delta project only included the reinforcement and raising of the dikes along the Western Scheldt, just to ensure the safety of Walcheren, Zuid-Beveland and Zeeuws-Vlaanderen. When that work was completed the permanent cross-river connection was still topping the provincial wish list.

In the course of the years many plans for that connection saw the light. Initially a bridge spanning the estuary was projected, but it had to be very high to provide for the necessary vertical clearance for the sea-going vessels. Later plans pictured a bridge-tunnel solution, i.e. a bridge to an (artificial) island in the middle of the stream combined with a tunnel under the main channel. Finally it was decided to choose for complete tunneling of the Western Scheldt. After long-lasting discussions about the exact location of the projected tunnel and about the funding of the project work started eventually in 1998. In 2003 the tunnel was opened for the traffic and at the same time the ferry service between Kruiningen and Perkpolder was discontinued.
 

With a length of over 6.5 kilometer the Western Scheldt tunnel is the longest road tunnel in the Netherlands. It is a bored tunnel, a novelty in this country where similar tunnels had always been built by sinking down prefabricated tunnel sections in a dredged trench in the waterbed. With the opening of the tunnel Zeeuws-Vlaanderen (Zeeland Flanders), that peculiar part of the Netherlands that logically should belong to Belgium, has come a lot nearer. Although a toll has to be paid on getting there for the next 30 years or so.

I am going to Kruiningen to see whether there is something left of that ferry service, two years after its discontinuation. And there is. After I have taken the exit Kruiningen on the A58 motorway I shortly arrive at a large crossing from where a wide, multi-lane road runs in southerly direction. All signs that might tell to where is road leads have been removed. There is no doubt: this is the place that I've been looking for.

After a few hundred meters the main road appears to be blocked with the well-known red-and-white barriers, but a parallel road allows me to go on. Two or three minutes later I arrive at the ferry terminal and that is a weird experience. The huge site is completely deserted. Where a few years ago usually hundreds of vehicles were lined up for the next ferry weeds are now rampantly growing between the paving bricks. The ramps for boarding the the double-decked ferries are still in place, now being barred with strong fences. A boarded-up wooden snack bar, vandalized traffic lights and broken barriers, the ticket building with all of its windows smashed, everything contributes to the desolate atmosphere in this weird place. But one thing is clear: the ferry service Kruiningen-Perkpolder is out of order, and this time for good.
 

It's only eight kilometers from Kruiningen on the Western Scheldt to Yerseke on the Eastern Scheldt, right across what is known as the 'Neck' of Zuid-Beveland. Yerseke is also a well-known name. Since the 15th century it is the center of mussel and oyster fishing in the Netherlands and it's the only place in the world with a mussel auction. Initially the shellfish were only landed here to be traded, but in the second half of the 19th century breeding of mussels and oyster was begun in Yerseke.

Shellfish breeding is a complicated process that partially happens in the Wadden Sea and partially in the Eastern Scheldt. Particularly oyster breeding requires precision. In June, when the sea water temperature goes up to 18° C, the oysters release their seed. By then the oyster farmers have put empty mussel or cockle shells on the seabed for the oyster larva to settle themselves upon. In April and May of the next year the brood is dredged up again and then planted on special breeding sections in the Eastern Scheldt, the so-called oyster banks. There they have to grow for another three or four years before they are ready for consumption. Awaiting the moment that they are sold the oysters are stored in the oyster ponds that were built from 1870 onwards just outside the village, on the bank of the Eastern Scheldt.

The oyster culture is very vulnerable to external influences like the quality and the temperature of the sea water. The extreme severe winter of 1963, for example, destroyed almost the complete oyster population in the Eastern Scheldt. It took several years before Yerseke had recovered from that blow. Also disease caused heavy damage to the oyster culture more than once.

When in the seventies of the past century the closure of the Eastern Scheldt with a dam, as part of the Deltaplan, came nearer the end of the oyster and mussel culture of Yerseke seemed to be imminent. After all, such a closure would change the environment of the estuary dramatically. Tidal movement would disappear and the saltwater inlet would gradually turn into a freshwater lake because of the constant supply of river water. It's a matter of course that the shellfish farmers of Yerseke joined the environmentalists who devoted themselves to keep the Eastern Scheldt open. 

In the end, their efforts were rewarded. After many years of discussion and balancing the various interests like safety, environment, economy and cost the Parliament decided to secure the Eastern Scheldt area by building an open storm surge barrier that is closed only in case of heavy storm combined with extreme high water levels. This way the unique Eastern Scheldt tidal environment could be preserved while, at the same time, the safety of the population in the area was ensured and the oyster and mussel culture of Yerseke was saved.
 

In 1970 Yerseke merged into the newly formed municipality of Reimerswaal, a reference to the old days when a prosperous seaport with the same name was situated here. As for size and importance it ranked third among the Zeeland towns, after Middelburg and Zierikzee. Nothing has remained of it than an undulating expanse of water presently known as the 'Kom' (bowl) of the Oosterschelde, but that is still depicted on maps as the 'Submerged Land of Zuid-Beveland'.

The downfall of Reimerswaal is still surrounded with myths and legends. For centuries fishermen are said to be tearing their nets on the remains of the once proud town. When heavy storms sweep the Eastern Scheldt it is said that the sound of the church bells of the submerged town can be heard, while on dead quiet nights the prayers of the perished residents for forgiveness for their pride are rising to the surface of the water. However, the reality turns out to be a lot less romantic (see the text alongside).

I leave Yerseke and head for Wemeldinge, a few kilometers onwards along the Eastern Scheldt. This is also a name that sounds familiar, provided that you took the 'old style' topography classes in primary school. Wemeldinge is to be bracketed together with Hansweert, as these two places are connected with each other by the Canal through Zuid-Beveland mentioned earlier. A canal that, even after the opening of the new Scheldt-Rhine Canal in 1976, still is an important waterway for shipping traffic.
 

My next destination is Goes, the 'capital' of Zuid-Beveland and also, after the downfall of Reimerswaal, the only officially enfranchised town that still remains on the island. With a population of over 36,000 it is also by far the largest place, with all the necessary facilities in the field of retail business, sports and leisure, education and culture to act as a center for the whole region.

Goes is much less renowned than other Zeeland towns like Middelburg, Vlissingen, Zierikzee and Veere. That does wrong to this town, for Goes also can boast a long and rich history, going back as far as to the 12th century when there was already a small settlement here, on the bank of a stream named Korte Gos. Presumably the town owes its name to that stream and does it have nothing to do with the goose, although this bird is often connected with Goes and actually appears in the town's coat of arms.

In 1405 Goes received its privileges of a town and in 1417 Jacoba van Beieren, countess of Holland, granted permission to build town ramparts. At that time Goes already possessed a merchant fleet of significant size, sailing to all major Western European seaports. The church of Maria Magdalena or Great Church, an impressive late-gothic basilica and one of the most outstanding buildings in the town, dates from this period. Other places worth seeing are the 17th-century Manhuis (Old men's home) and the Town Hall on the Grote Markt (Market Square) of 1775.
 

My one-day lightning visit to Zuid-Beveland doesn't allow me to wander around in the town any longer. Moreover my parking time has almost elapsed, for modern attainments like paying for parking have not passed Goes by, as to prove that also a historical town has to keep up with the times.

I leave Goes in southerly direction and cross the A58 motorway that runs like a backbone from east to west all across the island. The region that I am entering now is nicknamed the 'Pocket' of Zuid-Beveland; a glance at the map directly explains why. In the Middle Ages this area consisted of several smaller and larger islands, which in the course of the years grew together as a result of land reclamation and finally fused to a whole.
 

With the Sloehaven area also the end of my one-day visit to Zuid-Beveland comes into sight, as this industrial zone is located -at least partly- on the territory of the neighboring island of Walcheren. The sun finally seems to have settled its battle with the grey rain clouds to its advantage and now lavishly shines over the Zeeland scenery, painting it with previously unsuspected colors. Pity that it comes that late; now I will certainly have to return here to replace today's grey, raindrop-stained pictures with a bit more sunny material. And to make a bike tour along the winding dikes in the 'Pocket' of Zuid-Beveland, take a ride on the steam train, go and see the 'Mosselman' (Cocker) of Yerseke, have a pint at the harbor of Goes and to do many other things that I have not been able to do today.

Along a new and rather unattractive road around the Sloehaven zone I drive in the direction of Vlissingen. Somewhere here I will leave Zuid-Beveland and enter Walcheren; I don't know where exactly the one island ends and the other one begins. Presumably the border of the municipality of Borsele on Zuid-Beveland with that of the municipalities of Middelburg and Vlissingen on Walcheren will now form the dividing line between the two former islands - if anybody is still interested in such details.

Definitely it was much clearer in the old days. East of the Sloe stream was Zuid-Beveland and west of it Walcheren and the only way to get from one island to the other was by ferry boat. But that's more than 130 years ago and it is a matter of course that not much of the island feeling has left here, apart from on historical maps and in old folk tales.
 

More about Zuid-Beveland and related information

www.vvvzuidbevelandentholen.nl
Website of the Regio VVV (Regional Tourist Office) Zuid-Beveland and Tholen, with maps and tourist information on Zuid-Beveland. Dutch, 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.goes.nl
Website of the Municipality of Goes on Zuid-Beveland. Dutch language, with some content in English, French and German.

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.

www.orisant.com
Website around the historical novel "Orisant, submerged island in the Eastern Scheldt" by Paul de Schipper. Dutch, with some content in English and German language.
 

May 2005