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History
The first settlement
The recovering of a 150,000 year-old axe near Cadzand indicates that Zeeland’s first inhabitants must have arrived during that period. The area surrounding Cadzand consists of higher grounds thus it was well adapted for human settlements, taking into account the danger of the water below. Many more artefacts have been found in this area, all indicating early habitation. Other objects found in the east of Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen (at New-Namen) include stone arrow points which are ‘only’ 11,000 years old.
Farmers
The first sedentary farmers entered Zeeland approximately 6,500 years ago. The fact that Zee-land was more sea than land made it quite difficult to cope, but the farmers persevered. 2,000 years ago, Zeeland existed of not much more than lines of dunes stretching along the coastal line, only interrupted by the occasional river-mouth. A vast creek stretched behind the dunes up to the mainland of Brabant in the east. Despite the rough terrain, the inhabitants did not live in complete isolation. Archaeological findings of German and French-imported pottery make this quite evident.
The Roman era
A large number of Roman remains have been found in the village of Aardenburg. Though the heart of the Roman Empire was obviously in Rome, the empire itself consisted of major parts of Western Europe and the Mediterranean. Aardenburg was located on the northern border of the empire. The first Roman soldiers set foot on Zealand’s soil 2,000 years ago and their presence lasted for a few hundred years. Domburg, today a modest seaside resort, was the nautical centre from where trading vessels left for Britain and other locations in Western Europe. We know this because a storm revealed the remains of a Roman temple in the Domburg dunes in 1647. This temple was dedicated to Nehalennia, a local goddess, whom merchants and sailors honoured with altar stones, asking for a safe return. Traces of Roman presence have also been found in the current estuary Oosterschelde.
Vikings
A great flood forced inhabitants to flee Zeeland around 300 AD. Only the dunes offered a safe haven against the fierce waves. With the beginning of the Middle Ages, inhabitants returned and Zeeland was once again a very busy region. Domburg played a central role again in the trading with Britain. In those days, Domburg was likely called Walacria, after which the entire island was named Walcheren. The first Viking raids occured around the year 850. In reaction to these raids, several defence fortifications (burgens) were built. These are still recognisable today by the names of cities and villages like Oost'burg', Oost-Sou'burg', Middel'burg', Dom'burg' and Burgh. These fortifications were part of a defence system, which stretched along the coast from the north of Holland to France.
Land reclamation
Half way through the Middle Ages, the reclamation of land began. Flemish abbeys possessed vast estates in Zeeland and it was these abbeys that took the lead in the reclamation. To construct a dyke to keep out the rising waters was a harder task in those days than today, as workers only had their hands, a shovel and a bucket to their disposal. Nonetheless, the reclamation was successful. Larger and larger ‘polders’ (reclaimed sections of land) were constructed by connecting together the small islands.
Prosperity
The introduction of sheep was economically a very good move. Sheep were able to find enough food on the wetlands to survive and their presence made a lively wool trade possible. This trade increased the prosperity and the population rapidly grew. In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, a large number of villages arose. A village was only a real village if it had a church, and thanks to this fact even the smallest villages have at least one church today. Some villages grew to be large cities, like Middelburg and Veere.
16th and 17th centuries
Four centuries later, a less favourable lifestyle arose because economical growth led to wars. A huge flood on November 5th, 1530 (‘Sint Felix quade Saterdach’) made the islands of Noord-Beveland, Borssele and Sint-Philipsland completely disappear until their reclamation several decades later. At the same time, a war was fought between the Netherlands and the king of Spain, Philip the Second. The conquering of Middelburg by William of Orange in 1574 forced the monks of the well-known abbey to flee. It was in this vacant abbey that the government of the province of Zeeland was situated. With the conquering of Antwerp by the Spaniards a decade later, a large number of wealthy tradesmen left the city for settlement in Zeeland. They played an important role for cultural and economical life in the region. The ‘Golden Century’ (17th century) that followed, was a period of wealth for all the Netherlands. Cities like Middelburg, Veere, Zierikzee, Tholen, Vlissingen and Brouwershaven still testify this wealthy century today.
Napoleon
The 18th century was an economic disaster for the Netherlands. The conquest of the Netherlands by Napoleon in 1795 worsened the situation. The cities of Zeeland were turned to poverty and all shipping on the Westerschelde ceased. Within a few decades, Zeeland found itself again in the same agricultural situation it had been a few centuries earlier. Leaving the province in 1813, the French left Zeeland in poverty. Many buildings were pulled down in the 19th century due to their neglected states.
Infrastructure
In an attempt to restore Zealand’s economic capability, the Dutch kings invested into the infrastructure. By 1868, a railroad had been built to connect Goes with Bergen op Zoom. A channel through Walcheren and the Flushing harbour was constructed in this period too. Employment improved with the foundation of the shipyard ‘De Schelde’. In the beginning of the 20th century tramlines connected the cities and villages on the Walcheren peninsula.
WW II
Between 1940 and 1945, the Netherlands were occupied by German forces. On May 17th 1940 the Luftwaffe bombarded the historic centre of Middelburg. The disputable honour of being the most bombarded city in the Netherlands falls to the city of Flushing. Only one house in Flushing survived the war without damage. Although it took the allied forces until 1945 to liberate the Netherlands, their first offensive actions took place in October 1944. In that month they targeted the Walcheren sea dikes in an attempt to 'flush' the Germans out by flooding the polders. This is known as the ‘inundation’ of Walcheren. The liberation of Walcheren was a strategical move, because it enabled the allies to access the port of Antwerp. Schouwen-Duiveland remained as German territory until 1945.
Rebuilding and repairing the damage caused by the war was slow. After a year of work, things were beginning to look up, but then in 1953 a great flood occured in drowning 1836 people and flooding large parts of the province. In order to prevent any reoccurrence of this disaster drastic measures were taken: the Deltaworks. In 1986, the most important part of the project, the Oosterschelde storm surge barrier, was completed. Zeeland did not only find itself better protected after the 1952 flood, but its economy was also improved. Today most people in Zeeland are employed in the service sector.
