Yerseke
Encyclopedia
Yerseke is a village situated on the southern shore of the Oosterschelde
(Eastern Scheldt) estuary in the Dutch
province of Zeeland
. A separate municipality
until 1970, it today forms part of the municipality of Reimerswaal
. As of 2010 Yerseke had a recorded population of 6,570 inhabitants divided over 2590 households.
The fishing village is well known for its aquaculture. Tourists visit the oyster pits, harbours and museum of the town and fishing industry, as well as the annual celebration of the mussel harvest in August. The village furthermore plays host to the Dutch Institute for Ecology (NIOO).
However, the first historical mention of Yerseke most likely dates to a deed, or charter, issued on January 24th, 966 AD under the name of ‘Gersika’ by the Holy Roman Emperor Otto I (the Great). The area was originally property of abbeys in Flanders. The town was founded on an elevated ridge as the area (like many settlements of that era) as dikes were only built in the 13th century by monks. The earliest inhabitants practiced sheep husbandry and later extracted peat from surrounding moors when dikes were constructed.
Agriculture remained the primary activity of the town until the 16th century, when the Saint Felix flood
inundated large parts of land around the now lost trading city of Reimerswaal
to the east. As a result, Yerseke turned from a landlocked village into one located along the shores of the Eastern Scheldt
, which would shape much of its future.
While initially the economy of Yerseke remained little changed, fishing and aquaculture rapidly acquired greater importance, along with a concurrent population increase, beginning in the 19th century. The industry had its origins in the nearby hamlet Yersekendam that had a small harbour, and is now amalgamated with the town of Yerseke itself.
During World War II
the village suffered heavy damage. When Nazi Germany invaded in May 1940, many villagers evacuated due to anticipated fighting along the defensive Zanddijk line
, stretching from the village southwards towards Hansweert
across Zuid-Beveland
. French naval bombardment from the Western Schedlt of German positions along the defensive line and Canal through Zuid-Beveland
resulted in severe damage to the town. The main church was, along with much of the town centre, almost entirely ruined. Besides the church, twenty-five structures were completely destroyed while an additional 36 received heavy damage, causing seventy families to become homeless. Although the village was liberated by Canadian forces in 1944, Nazi V-1 rockets struck the village in March of 1945. During the occupation, men from the village were taken to Germany as forced labourers for German industry.
The North Sea flood of 1953
(De Ramp, or ‘The Disaster’ in Dutch) did not cause flooding within the town itself. However, many of the town’s fishing vessels assisted inundated communities.
of mussels, oyster
s, periwinkles
, and lobster
. Due to the economic success and wealth created by the oyster and mussel industries, Yerseke has received the nickname “Klondike
of Zeeland”, while mussels are sometimes referred to as “black gold” (‘’Zwart Goud’’).
Starting approximately in 1870, the village began large-scale cultivation of oysters, partly in response to high French demand. For this purpose, parcels within the Eastern Scheldt
were leased out by the government for farming, while pits outside the dikes employing roof tiles were constructed for cultivation
of oyster larvae. These pits were eventually abandoned in the 20th century, replaced by pits built within the dikes close to the harbour, where roof tiles have given way to modern racks. The pits also serve to flush oysters harvested from the estuaries, and are surrounded by old, characteristic warehouses.
While the oyster industry created wealth, it also suffered many setbacks and upheavals, as well as creating social inequalities. In 1885, some oyster farmers sought greater opportunities by immigrating to West Sayville, New York
on Long Island
, where wild oysters were once abundant. During the 20th century, further setbacks in the form of harsh winters, especially in 1963, and the threatened closing of the Eastern Scheldt by an earthen dam
almost led to the collapse of the oyster industry. After moderate recovery, the bacterium Bonamia ostreae
infected the prevalent flat oysters, again decimating the industry in 1980. This led to the introduction of the Pacific Oyster
, now the most cultivated oyster species, which some consider an invasive species
.
Mussels have always been a staple along the coast, but only at the end of the 19th century were there concerted efforts at standardising production. Beginning approximately after the war, mussels have slowly gained ever greater economic significance and eclipsed the oyster in importance. This is manifest by the village hosting the first and only mussel auction in the world. In the past, mussels were caught and harvested with small sailing sloops, the so-called hoogaars and hengst
. Today, highly advanced and much larger ships are employed, able to not only manage the harvest on the Eastern Scheldt but sail longer distances, including to the Wadden Sea
where mussels have been seeded and harvested since about 1950 when a parasite threatened the harvest in the Eastern Scheldt. The mussels are grown and harvested entirely at sea in a mostly natural process.
The harbour of Yerseke has expanded continuously since the 19th century along with the fishing industry. The original harbour of Yersekendam, initially a loading dock for agricultural products bound for the island of Tholen
, was expanded to accommodate fishing boats. This was supplemented with a larger harbour in 1965, named after then Crown Princess Beatrix
. A much larger harbour, named after then Queen Juliana and opened in 1981, is deep enough to accommodate the largest and most modern vessels, and also boasts a dry dock for maintenance. A statue of an old “mussel man” commemorates the opening by the Queen.
As part of the Delta Works
to prevent future flooding after the 1953 flooding
, the originally proposed closed earthen dam of the Eastern Scheldt was altered into an open storm surge barrier
. This engineering work served to (partially) protect the ecology of the estuary and with it the vital fishing industry of the town that depends on regular tidal movements. Resistance from Yerseke and her fisherman, as well as environmentalists, prevented the complete closure of the Eastern Scheldt.
During the third Saturday of August every year, the village celebrates the official start of the mussel harvest with the annual Mosseldag, although these days the season tends to begin earlier. The event attracts approximately 45,000 visitors who come to eat mussels, take free cruises on mussel ships, and enjoy flee markets, beer tents, parades and marching bands, as well as traditional regional activities including regional dress. The Friday evening before the event, a dance festival is organised. Fireworks above the harbour and a rock concert are held on Saturday night to officially close the celebration.
The fishing industry supports many businesses and organisations. Yerseke is host to the internationally top-ranked Centre for Estuarine and Marine Ecology (CEME, Centrum voor Estuariene en Mariene Ecologie), formerly the Delta Institute for Hydrobiological Research and part of the Dutch Institute for Ecology (NIOO, Nederlands Instituut voor Ecologie). CEME conducts research in estuaries and coastal waters in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Polar Regions, as well as participating in several deep-sea projects.
A museum close to the main church details the town’s history, the fishing industry and the natural environment of the Eastern Scheldt. Several seafood restaurants in the village showcase the fishing industry, including the recently closed Nolet het Reymerswale that for years boasted a Michelin star
(the adjacent restaurant Nolet’s Vistro remains open and shares the same kitchen).
. This natural area is a former salt-water tidal marsh, separated by dikes from the sea around 1200 AD by monks for the purposes of farming and peat
extraction, which boasted a high salt content (a lucrative commodity in the Middle Ages). Extraction has since formed the characteristic landscape today: rich, low-lying meadows atop a thick peat layer are interspersed by sandy creek ridges along which roads and paths have developed over the centuries. Due to large variation in soils and sand, a great variety of fauna has developed and the area has become a protected bird sanctuary. A trail guides walkers through the moor.
Protestant congregation located in the centre of the village, also historically the highest point of the surrounding area. This church is part of the Protestant Church of the Netherlands (PKN
), formed by a merger in 2004 with the Lutheran churches.
The main medieval church, a grade-listed building built in a simple Gothic style, was constructed in the second half of the 15th century, although a church has stood on the same spot since the 12th century. The nave was lost to fire or flooding in 1532. The original transept, crossing, choir and sacristy remain, and form the functioning church today. The church added a 51-meter neo-Gothic bell tower in 1887 and received its first organ a year later.
On May 16th, 1940, during the Battle of Zeeland
, naval bombardment severely damaged the church: the bell tower and roof both collapsed, while fire gutted the interior, destroying the stained-glass windows and organ in the process. The church was restored in 1948, while the tower was never rebuilt, eventually replaced with a much smaller belfry atop the crossing’s roof. A bay was added to the west side of the crossing, where a new organ was installed in 1974, partially with funds from a villager who emigrated to the United States. The difference between the new and old bricks is clearly visible.
Additional churches and congregations in the town include:
Due to lack of congregants, a small Catholic church built in 1893 was remodeled as a residence from 2003 onwards.
and Flushing
, as well as slow train services to nearby villages. The station
is located 4km to the south, close to the neighbouring town of Kruiningen, accessible by regular bus services. The A58 motorway
, with access points close to the train station, connects to the national motorway network. The small size of the village makes it easily walkable and traversable by bike.
Oosterschelde
The Oosterschelde is an estuary in Zeeland, Netherlands, between Schouwen-Duiveland and Tholen on the north and Noord-Beveland and Zuid-Beveland on the south.During the Roman Era it was the major mouth of the Scheldt River. Before the St...
(Eastern Scheldt) estuary in the Dutch
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...
. A separate 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...
until 1970, it today forms part of the municipality of Reimerswaal
Reimerswaal (municipality)
Reimerswall is a municipality in the province of Zeeland in the southwestern Netherlands on Zuid-Beveland, named after the lost city. The municipality had 20,966 inhabitants in 2004, and has a surface area of 243.70 km² . The central town Yerseke is known for trade in mussels and oysters...
. As of 2010 Yerseke had a recorded population of 6,570 inhabitants divided over 2590 households.
The fishing village is well known for its aquaculture. Tourists visit the oyster pits, harbours and museum of the town and fishing industry, as well as the annual celebration of the mussel harvest in August. The village furthermore plays host to the Dutch Institute for Ecology (NIOO).
History
The site of Yerseke may have been inhabited for more than a millennium, and possibly since before the early Middle Ages. Skeletal remains found in 1923 during an archaeological dig were dated to the Carolingian period (7th to 9th centuries).However, the first historical mention of Yerseke most likely dates to a deed, or charter, issued on January 24th, 966 AD under the name of ‘Gersika’ by the Holy Roman Emperor Otto I (the Great). The area was originally property of abbeys in Flanders. The town was founded on an elevated ridge as the area (like many settlements of that era) as dikes were only built in the 13th century by monks. The earliest inhabitants practiced sheep husbandry and later extracted peat from surrounding moors when dikes were constructed.
Agriculture remained the primary activity of the town until the 16th century, when the Saint Felix flood
St. Felix's Flood
The St. Felix's Flood happened on Saturday 5 November 1530, the name day of St. Felix. This day was later known as Evil Saturday . Large parts of Flanders and Zeeland were washed away, including the Verdronken Land van Reimerswaal. According to Audrey M...
inundated large parts of land around the now lost trading city of Reimerswaal
Verdronken Land van Reimerswaal
The Verdronken Land van Reimerswaal is an area of flood-covered land in Zeeland in the Netherlands between Noord Beveland and Bergen op Zoom. Some of it was lost in the St. Felix's Flood in 1530, and some of it in 1532. The Oosterschelde formerly flowed along its east and north edges...
to the east. As a result, Yerseke turned from a landlocked village into one located along the shores of the Eastern Scheldt
Oosterschelde
The Oosterschelde is an estuary in Zeeland, Netherlands, between Schouwen-Duiveland and Tholen on the north and Noord-Beveland and Zuid-Beveland on the south.During the Roman Era it was the major mouth of the Scheldt River. Before the St...
, which would shape much of its future.
While initially the economy of Yerseke remained little changed, fishing and aquaculture rapidly acquired greater importance, along with a concurrent population increase, beginning in the 19th century. The industry had its origins in the nearby hamlet Yersekendam that had a small harbour, and is now amalgamated with the town of Yerseke itself.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the village suffered heavy damage. When Nazi Germany invaded in May 1940, many villagers evacuated due to anticipated fighting along the defensive Zanddijk line
Battle of Zeeland
The Battle of Zeeland was a little-known struggle on the Western Front during the early stages of the German assault on France and the Low Countries during World War II. Several Dutch and French units attempted to hold off the German onslaught by making a determined defense of the Dutch province of...
, stretching from the village southwards towards Hansweert
Hansweert
Hansweert is a village on the Zuid-Beveland peninsula in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is located in the municipality of Reimerswaal, about 2 km west of the village of Kruiningen.-History:...
across Zuid-Beveland
Zuid-Beveland
Zuid-Beveland is a part of the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands north of the Westerschelde and south of the Oosterschelde. It is a former island, now peninsula, crossed by the Canal through Zuid-Beveland on the west and the Scheldt-Rhine Canal on the east.It consists of four...
. French naval bombardment from the Western Schedlt of German positions along the defensive line and Canal through Zuid-Beveland
Canal through Zuid-Beveland
The Canal through Zuid-Beveland in the Netherlands is the western of the two canals crossing Zuid-Beveland. It connects the Westerschelde and the Oosterschelde....
resulted in severe damage to the town. The main church was, along with much of the town centre, almost entirely ruined. Besides the church, twenty-five structures were completely destroyed while an additional 36 received heavy damage, causing seventy families to become homeless. Although the village was liberated by Canadian forces in 1944, Nazi V-1 rockets struck the village in March of 1945. During the occupation, men from the village were taken to Germany as forced labourers for German industry.
The North Sea flood of 1953
North Sea flood of 1953
The 1953 North Sea flood was a major flood caused by a heavy storm, that occurred on the night of Saturday 31 January 1953 and morning of 1 February 1953. The floods struck the Netherlands, Belgium, England and Scotland.A combination of a high spring tide and a severe European windstorm caused a...
(De Ramp, or ‘The Disaster’ in Dutch) did not cause flooding within the town itself. However, many of the town’s fishing vessels assisted inundated communities.
Aquaculture
The locality is well known in the region and farther afield, especially in Belgium, for its aquaculture and fishing industry: particularly for the cultivation from the Eastern ScheldtOosterschelde
The Oosterschelde is an estuary in Zeeland, Netherlands, between Schouwen-Duiveland and Tholen on the north and Noord-Beveland and Zuid-Beveland on the south.During the Roman Era it was the major mouth of the Scheldt River. Before the St...
of mussels, oyster
Oyster
The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....
s, periwinkles
Common Periwinkle
The common periwinkle or winkle, scientific name Littorina littorea, is a species of small edible sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk which has gills and an operculum, and is classified within the family Littorinidae, the periwinkles....
, and lobster
Lobster
Clawed lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.Though several groups of crustaceans are known as lobsters, the clawed lobsters are most...
. Due to the economic success and wealth created by the oyster and mussel industries, Yerseke has received the nickname “Klondike
Klondike Gold Rush
The Klondike Gold Rush, also called the Yukon Gold Rush, the Alaska Gold Rush and the Last Great Gold Rush, was an attempt by an estimated 100,000 people to travel to the Klondike region the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1897 and 1899 in the hope of successfully prospecting for gold...
of Zeeland”, while mussels are sometimes referred to as “black gold” (‘’Zwart Goud’’).
Starting approximately in 1870, the village began large-scale cultivation of oysters, partly in response to high French demand. For this purpose, parcels within the Eastern Scheldt
Oosterschelde
The Oosterschelde is an estuary in Zeeland, Netherlands, between Schouwen-Duiveland and Tholen on the north and Noord-Beveland and Zuid-Beveland on the south.During the Roman Era it was the major mouth of the Scheldt River. Before the St...
were leased out by the government for farming, while pits outside the dikes employing roof tiles were constructed for cultivation
Oyster farming
Oyster farming is an aquaculture practice in which oysters are raised for human consumption. Oyster farming most likely developed in tandem with pearl farming, a similar practice in which oysters are farmed for the purpose of developing pearls...
of oyster larvae. These pits were eventually abandoned in the 20th century, replaced by pits built within the dikes close to the harbour, where roof tiles have given way to modern racks. The pits also serve to flush oysters harvested from the estuaries, and are surrounded by old, characteristic warehouses.
While the oyster industry created wealth, it also suffered many setbacks and upheavals, as well as creating social inequalities. In 1885, some oyster farmers sought greater opportunities by immigrating to West Sayville, New York
West Sayville, New York
West Sayville is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 5,003 at the 2000 census.West Sayville is located in the southwest part of the Town of Islip.-Geography:...
on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, where wild oysters were once abundant. During the 20th century, further setbacks in the form of harsh winters, especially in 1963, and the threatened closing of the Eastern Scheldt by an earthen dam
Oosterscheldekering
The Oosterscheldekering , between the islands Schouwen-Duiveland and Noord-Beveland, is the largest of the 13 ambitious Delta works series of dams, designed to protect the Netherlands from flooding...
almost led to the collapse of the oyster industry. After moderate recovery, the bacterium Bonamia ostreae
Bonamia ostreae
Bonamia ostreae is a parasitic protist in the phylum Haplosporidia that can cause lethal infections in shellfish, particularly the European flat oyster, Ostrea edulis. Infection in oysters rarely results in clinical signs of disease and often the only indication of the infection is increased...
infected the prevalent flat oysters, again decimating the industry in 1980. This led to the introduction of the Pacific Oyster
Pacific oyster
The Pacific oyster, Japanese oyster or Miyagi oyster , is an oyster native to the Pacific coast of Asia. It has become an introduced species in North America, Australia, Europe, and New Zealand.- Etymology :...
, now the most cultivated oyster species, which some consider an invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
.
Mussels have always been a staple along the coast, but only at the end of the 19th century were there concerted efforts at standardising production. Beginning approximately after the war, mussels have slowly gained ever greater economic significance and eclipsed the oyster in importance. This is manifest by the village hosting the first and only mussel auction in the world. In the past, mussels were caught and harvested with small sailing sloops, the so-called hoogaars and hengst
Hengst
The Hengst is a mountain in the Bernese Alps, located in the Canton of Lucerne, Switzerland. It is the highest summit of the Schrattenflue.-External links:*...
. Today, highly advanced and much larger ships are employed, able to not only manage the harvest on the Eastern Scheldt but sail longer distances, including to the Wadden Sea
Wadden Sea
The Wadden Sea is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern continental Europe and the range of Frisian Islands, forming a shallow body of water with tidal flats and wetlands. It is rich in biological diversity...
where mussels have been seeded and harvested since about 1950 when a parasite threatened the harvest in the Eastern Scheldt. The mussels are grown and harvested entirely at sea in a mostly natural process.
The harbour of Yerseke has expanded continuously since the 19th century along with the fishing industry. The original harbour of Yersekendam, initially a loading dock for agricultural products bound for the island of Tholen
Tholen (town)
Tholen is a town in the municipality of Tholen, in the east of Zeeland, a province in the south-west of the Netherlands. The town has a small historical center partly surrounded by a "gracht" and partly bordered by a harbour for fishing ships and yachts....
, was expanded to accommodate fishing boats. This was supplemented with a larger harbour in 1965, named after then Crown Princess Beatrix
Beatrix of the Netherlands
Beatrix is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands comprising the Netherlands, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and Aruba. She is the first daughter of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. She studied law at Leiden University...
. A much larger harbour, named after then Queen Juliana and opened in 1981, is deep enough to accommodate the largest and most modern vessels, and also boasts a dry dock for maintenance. A statue of an old “mussel man” commemorates the opening by the Queen.
As part of the Delta Works
Delta Works
The Delta Works is a series of construction projects in the southwest of the Netherlands to protect a large area of land around the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta from the sea. The works consist of dams, sluices, locks, dikes, levees, and storm surge barriers...
to prevent future flooding after the 1953 flooding
North Sea flood of 1953
The 1953 North Sea flood was a major flood caused by a heavy storm, that occurred on the night of Saturday 31 January 1953 and morning of 1 February 1953. The floods struck the Netherlands, Belgium, England and Scotland.A combination of a high spring tide and a severe European windstorm caused a...
, the originally proposed closed earthen dam of the Eastern Scheldt was altered into an open storm surge barrier
Oosterscheldekering
The Oosterscheldekering , between the islands Schouwen-Duiveland and Noord-Beveland, is the largest of the 13 ambitious Delta works series of dams, designed to protect the Netherlands from flooding...
. This engineering work served to (partially) protect the ecology of the estuary and with it the vital fishing industry of the town that depends on regular tidal movements. Resistance from Yerseke and her fisherman, as well as environmentalists, prevented the complete closure of the Eastern Scheldt.
During the third Saturday of August every year, the village celebrates the official start of the mussel harvest with the annual Mosseldag, although these days the season tends to begin earlier. The event attracts approximately 45,000 visitors who come to eat mussels, take free cruises on mussel ships, and enjoy flee markets, beer tents, parades and marching bands, as well as traditional regional activities including regional dress. The Friday evening before the event, a dance festival is organised. Fireworks above the harbour and a rock concert are held on Saturday night to officially close the celebration.
The fishing industry supports many businesses and organisations. Yerseke is host to the internationally top-ranked Centre for Estuarine and Marine Ecology (CEME, Centrum voor Estuariene en Mariene Ecologie), formerly the Delta Institute for Hydrobiological Research and part of the Dutch Institute for Ecology (NIOO, Nederlands Instituut voor Ecologie). CEME conducts research in estuaries and coastal waters in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Polar Regions, as well as participating in several deep-sea projects.
A museum close to the main church details the town’s history, the fishing industry and the natural environment of the Eastern Scheldt. Several seafood restaurants in the village showcase the fishing industry, including the recently closed Nolet het Reymerswale that for years boasted a Michelin star
Michelin Guide
The Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars...
(the adjacent restaurant Nolet’s Vistro remains open and shares the same kitchen).
Yerseke Moer
The main natural feature of the town is the Moer (moor) partially surrounding the town, extending westwards along the Eastern Scheld shoreline, and southeast to the hamlet of Vlake along the canalCanal through Zuid-Beveland
The Canal through Zuid-Beveland in the Netherlands is the western of the two canals crossing Zuid-Beveland. It connects the Westerschelde and the Oosterschelde....
. This natural area is a former salt-water tidal marsh, separated by dikes from the sea around 1200 AD by monks for the purposes of farming and peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
extraction, which boasted a high salt content (a lucrative commodity in the Middle Ages). Extraction has since formed the characteristic landscape today: rich, low-lying meadows atop a thick peat layer are interspersed by sandy creek ridges along which roads and paths have developed over the centuries. Due to large variation in soils and sand, a great variety of fauna has developed and the area has become a protected bird sanctuary. A trail guides walkers through the moor.
Churches and Religion
The main church of the town is the Dutch Reformed ChurchDutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
Protestant congregation located in the centre of the village, also historically the highest point of the surrounding area. This church is part of the Protestant Church of the Netherlands (PKN
PKN
PKN can mean:*A member of the Protein kinase family of enzymes*Protestant Church in the Netherlands*Personal knowledge networking*Program Khidmat Negara, Malaysia's National Service program....
), formed by a merger in 2004 with the Lutheran churches.
The main medieval church, a grade-listed building built in a simple Gothic style, was constructed in the second half of the 15th century, although a church has stood on the same spot since the 12th century. The nave was lost to fire or flooding in 1532. The original transept, crossing, choir and sacristy remain, and form the functioning church today. The church added a 51-meter neo-Gothic bell tower in 1887 and received its first organ a year later.
On May 16th, 1940, during the Battle of Zeeland
Battle of Zeeland
The Battle of Zeeland was a little-known struggle on the Western Front during the early stages of the German assault on France and the Low Countries during World War II. Several Dutch and French units attempted to hold off the German onslaught by making a determined defense of the Dutch province of...
, naval bombardment severely damaged the church: the bell tower and roof both collapsed, while fire gutted the interior, destroying the stained-glass windows and organ in the process. The church was restored in 1948, while the tower was never rebuilt, eventually replaced with a much smaller belfry atop the crossing’s roof. A bay was added to the west side of the crossing, where a new organ was installed in 1974, partially with funds from a villager who emigrated to the United States. The difference between the new and old bricks is clearly visible.
Additional churches and congregations in the town include:
- Hervormde Gemeente Rehoboth (PKN)
- Netherlands Reformed Congregation, a conservative denomination with the largest congregation in town,
- Free Evangelical Church
- Reformed ChurchProtestant Church in the NetherlandsThe Protestant Church in the Netherlands is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in the Netherlands. With 2,000 congregations and a membership of some 1.8 million , it is the second largest church in the Netherlands after the Roman Catholic Church.It was founded 1 May 2004 as a merger of...
(PKN)
Due to lack of congregants, a small Catholic church built in 1893 was remodeled as a residence from 2003 onwards.
Transportation
The village is serviced by the railway with hourly services to AmsterdamAmsterdam
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...
and Flushing
Flushing, Netherlands
Vlissingen is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river and the North Sea, Vlissingen has been an important harbour for centuries. It was granted city rights in 1315. In the 17th century...
, as well as slow train services to nearby villages. The station
Kruiningen-Yerseke railway station
Kruiningen-Yerseke is a railway station located between Kruiningen and Yerseke, the Netherlands. The station was opened on 1 July 1868 and is located on the Roosendaal–Vlissingen railway...
is located 4km to the south, close to the neighbouring town of Kruiningen, accessible by regular bus services. The A58 motorway
A58 motorway (Netherlands)
The A58 motorway is a motorway in the Netherlands. It is approximately 145 kilometers in length. The A58 is located in the Dutch provinces of North Brabant and Zeeland....
, with access points close to the train station, connects to the national motorway network. The small size of the village makes it easily walkable and traversable by bike.