Terneuzen
Encyclopedia
Terneuzen is a city and municipality in the southwestern Netherlands
, in the province of Zeeland
, in the middle of Zeelandic Flanders. With over 55,000 inhabitants, it is the most populous municipality of Zeeland.
(8,274), Sas van Gent (4,000), Zaamslag
(3,018), Hoek
(3,000), Koewacht
(2,700), Sluiskil
(2,700), Philippine
(2,200), Westdorpe
(2,028), Biervliet
(1,671), Zuiddorpe
(1,000), Zandstraat
(379), Spui
(300), Overslag
(250).
estuary. It can be reached from the rest of the Netherlands via the Western Scheldt Tunnel
, which opened in March 2003. Terneuzen is not linked to the rest of the Netherlands by rail - although the Dow Chemical plant is served by a freight only line to Gand/Ghent in Belgium (Terneuzen's passenger rail service was withdrawn in 1951).
First mentioned in 1325, Terneuzen was a strategically located port on the waterways to Ghent
, in present-day Belgium
. Nowadays the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal
is still an important shipping route. http://www.binnenvaart.be/en_html/iedereen/index.asp?../klanten/waterwegen.asp The port of Terneuzen is the third largest in the Netherlands, after those of Rotterdam
and Amsterdam
. The largest plant of Dow Chemical Company
outside of the United States
is located at Terneuzen, on the west side of the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal.
Tradition has it that Terneuzen was once the home of the legendary Flying Dutchman, Van der Decken, a captain who cursed God and was condemned to sail the seas forever, as described in the Frederick Marryat
novel The Phantom Ship
and the Richard Wagner
opera The Flying Dutchman
.
It received city rights
in 1584. Before 1877, the city was often called Neuzen.
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...
, in the 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...
, in the middle of Zeelandic Flanders. With over 55,000 inhabitants, it is the most populous municipality of Zeeland.
Population centres
Terneuzen (population: 24,150), AxelAxel (Netherlands)
Axel is a town in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Terneuzen, and lies about 31 km southeast of Vlissingen. It received city rights in 1213.In 2001, the town of Axel had 7421 inhabitants...
(8,274), Sas van Gent (4,000), Zaamslag
Zaamslag
Zaamslag is a village and statistical area in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Terneuzen, and lies about 28 km southeast of Vlissingen.Zaamslag was a separate municipality until 1970, when it was merged with Terneuzen...
(3,018), Hoek
Hoek (Zeeland)
Hoek is a town in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Terneuzen, and lies about 22 km southeast of Vlissingen.Hoek was a separate municipality until 1970.In 2001, the town of Hoek had 2502 inhabitants...
(3,000), Koewacht
Koewacht
Koewacht is a village on the border between the Netherlands and Belgium. It is located in Zeelandic Flanders, a part of the province of Zeeland and part of the municipality of Terneuzen.The village consists of two parts; a Dutch and a Belgian part...
(2,700), Sluiskil
Sluiskil
Sluiskil is a town in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Terneuzen, and lies about 27 km southeast of Vlissingen.In 2001, the town of Sluiskil had 2366 inhabitants...
(2,700), Philippine
Philippine (Netherlands)
Philippine is a town in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Terneuzen, and lies about 23 km southeast of Vlissingen. It is located close to the border with Belgium, 5 km southwest of the city of Terneuzen. It received city rights in 1506.Philippine has...
(2,200), Westdorpe
Westdorpe
Westdorpe is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Terneuzen, and lies about 31 km southeast of Vlissingen.Westdorpe was a separate municipality until 1970, when it was merged with Sas van Gent....
(2,028), Biervliet
Biervliet
Biervliet is a town in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Terneuzen, and lies about 16 km South of Vlissingen.Biervliet received city rights in 1183. It is originally a fishing village...
(1,671), Zuiddorpe
Zuiddorpe
Zuiddorpe is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Terneuzen, and lies about 34 km southeast of Vlissingen.Zuiddorpe was a separate municipality until 1970, when it was merged with Axel....
(1,000), Zandstraat
Zandstraat
Zandstraat is a town in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Terneuzen, and lies about 27 km southeast of Vlissingen....
(379), Spui
Spui (Zeeland)
Spui is a town in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Terneuzen, and lies about 27 km southeast of Vlissingen....
(300), Overslag
Overslag
Overslag is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Terneuzen, and lies about 36 km southeast of Vlissingen.Overslag was a separate municipality until 1970, when it was merged with Axel....
(250).
The town Terneuzen
The city of Terneuzen is located on the southern shore of the Western ScheldtWestern Scheldt
The Western Scheldt in the province Zeeland in the southwestern Netherlands, is the estuary of the Scheldt river. This river once had several estuaries, but the others are disconnected from the Scheldt, leaving the Westerschelde as its only direct way to the sea. It is an important shipping route...
estuary. It can be reached from the rest of the Netherlands via the Western Scheldt Tunnel
Western Scheldt Tunnel
Western Scheldt Tunnel is a tunnel in The Netherlands on highway N62 under the Western Scheldt estuary between Ellewoutsdijk and Terneuzen. It is the longest tunnel for highway traffic in The Netherlands.-History:...
, which opened in March 2003. Terneuzen is not linked to the rest of the Netherlands by rail - although the Dow Chemical plant is served by a freight only line to Gand/Ghent in Belgium (Terneuzen's passenger rail service was withdrawn in 1951).
First mentioned in 1325, Terneuzen was a strategically located port on the waterways to Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
, in present-day Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. Nowadays the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal
Ghent-Terneuzen Canal
The Ghent-Terneuzen Canal , also known as the "Sea Canal" is a canal linking Ghent in Belgium to the port of Terneuzen on the Westerschelde estuary in the Netherlands, thereby providing the former with better access to the sea.-History:The canal was constructed between 1823 and 1827 on the...
is still an important shipping route. http://www.binnenvaart.be/en_html/iedereen/index.asp?../klanten/waterwegen.asp The port of Terneuzen is the third largest in the Netherlands, after those of Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
and Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. The largest plant of Dow Chemical Company
Dow Chemical Company
The Dow Chemical Company is a multinational corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States. As of 2007, it is the second largest chemical manufacturer in the world by revenue and as of February 2009, the third-largest chemical company in the world by market capitalization .Dow...
outside of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
is located at Terneuzen, on the west side of the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal.
Tradition has it that Terneuzen was once the home of the legendary Flying Dutchman, Van der Decken, a captain who cursed God and was condemned to sail the seas forever, as described in the Frederick Marryat
Frederick Marryat
Captain Frederick Marryat was an English Royal Navy officer, novelist, and a contemporary and acquaintance of Charles Dickens, noted today as an early pioneer of the sea story...
novel The Phantom Ship
The Phantom Ship
The Phantom Ship is a Gothic novel by Frederick Marryat which explores the legend of the Flying Dutchman and, in one chapter, features a werewolf....
and the Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
opera The Flying Dutchman
The Flying Dutchman (opera)
Der fliegende Holländer is an opera, with music and libretto by Richard Wagner.Wagner claimed in his 1870 autobiography Mein Leben that he had been inspired to write "The Flying Dutchman" following a stormy sea crossing he made from Riga to London in July and August 1839, but in his 1843...
.
It received city rights
City rights in the Netherlands
City rights are a medieval phenomenon in the history of the Low Countries. A liegelord, usually a count, duke or similar member of high nobility, granted a settlement he owned certain town privileges that settlements without city rights did not have....
in 1584. Before 1877, the city was often called Neuzen.
People from Terneuzen
- Sandra E. Roelofs, the first lady of the country of GeorgiaGeorgia (country)Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
. - Lodewijk van den BergLodewijk van den BergLodewijk van den Berg is a Dutch American chemical engineer, specializing in crystal growth, who flew on a 1985 Space Shuttle Challenger mission as a Payload Specialist....
, astronaut on a Challenger Space Shuttle mission, born in Sluiskil, Terneuzen. - Klaas de VriesKlaas de Vries (composer)Klaas de Vries is a Dutch composer. De Vries teaches composition at the conservatory of Rotterdam and can be described as influential in the Dutch musical life.-Biography:...
, a composer and one of the founders of a music style that became known as the Rotterdam School. - Jacques HamelinkJacques HamelinkJacobus Marinus Hamelink , better known as Jacques Hamelink, is a Dutch poet, novelist, and literary critic, who is best known for his early short story collections such as Het plantaardig bewind en De rudimentaire mens...
, a novelist, poet and literary critic, who is best known for his poetry and early short story collections such as Het plantaardig bewind ("The Vegetative Dominion", 1964).