It goes beyond the horizon

What used to be the longest bridge in Europe lies like a giant centipede over the azure blue Oosterschelde. The snow-white, five-kilometre-long Zeeland Bridge not only connects the two largest peninsulas of Zeeland, Schouwen-Duiveland and Walcheren-Südbeveland. Since 1965 it has also been the lifeline for the Zeeland province, entirely permeated by water, made up of islands, peninsulas and the mainland tip of Zeeland-Flanders, which borders Belgium.

All of this has a lot to do with the devastating storm surge of January 31, 1953. At that time, the most vulnerable part of the Netherlands was almost completely flooded, and 1835 people lost their lives. At the same time, however, it was the incentive for the Netherlands to take up the fight against the sometimes treacherous sea and to equip this province in particular with a comprehensive protection system.

In the dunes of the small town of De Banjaard on Beveland you can see part of the mighty lock gates of the Oosterschelde, built after the flood of the century. In the back lies the high dyke as part of the protection against the floods and separates the open sea from the former arm of the sea. This section has since been called the Veerse Meer and over time has become an ideal place for all kinds of water sports.

The peaceful scenery represents what Zeeland is all about: the sea and the land with its wide horizon, a picture book landscape that is particularly suitable as a versatile holiday destination for family tourism, which has been growing rapidly in the last 30 years. The area is popular with guests from the western federal states of Germany, especially from North Rhine-Westphalia. From there it is only a three to four hour drive along Zeeland's 650 kilometers of coastline.

Jerry Troy is sitting in the glass-enclosed breakfast room, surrounded by the English-cut lawn of his fine hotel, the "Villa Magnolia" in Oostkapelle. He emphasizes why it is the supposedly small things - such as extensive bike tours or dyke hikes - that speak for a longer holiday in his region: "We have done a lot right in Zeeland in recent years and a balance between the interests of our many visitors and the people who live here.”

Even if Zeeland, with only about 390,000 inhabitants, is one of the sparsely populated provinces of Holland, conflicts were sometimes felt in this region too: especially with the expansion of the tourist infrastructure in relation to agriculture. One result is that not much has changed from the outside over the years, apart from the massive expansion and conversion into the holiday stronghold of the small seaside resort of Cadzand on the border with Belgium.

Jerry Troy, who is also the spokesman for the tourist industry in his municipality of Veere, also praises the move towards eco-tourism and the growing awareness of regional culture: in Zeeland, for example, traditions are extensively maintained, such as harbor festivals or open-air concerts.

Then he talks about the royal family. At the height of the pandemic, he was asked to speak to Queen Maxima. "The Queen was not only generally interested in Zeeland's tourism issues," emphasizes Troy, who was also well informed about the difficulties in which the corona virus had thrown the region's travel industry.

The royal family's connections to Zeeland are old and strong, which also explains the royal family's regular visits to the region. Whether the former queens Juliana or Beatrix, King Willem-Alexander or Queen Maxima, they all like to come to the southernmost province - sometimes even accompanied by the whole family. In return, the Zeelanders are considered particularly loyal to the king.

The House of Oranje-Nassau was given three important parts of what later became the Netherlands, including South and North Holland as well as the present-day province of Zeeland before it came to the head of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. And even before he later became King of the Netherlands, Prince Willem von Orange, as the progenitor of the monarchy, married Princess Charlotte de Bourbon in Zeeland, celebrated the wedding with her in documents in the still existing hotel "Campveerse Toren" in the idyllic port city of Veere Walcheren, the main (peninsula) island of Zeeland.

The provincial capital of Zeeland is Middelburg, which has a good 48,000 inhabitants. Trade with all over the world was once conducted from here, and the resulting wealth is still tangible: Middelburg was the richest city in the Netherlands after Amsterdam. During the Second World War, the city center was severely damaged, but was then rebuilt extensively and in accordance with the historic cityscape. A detour is therefore definitely worthwhile.

The same applies to the town of Goes on the edge of the Oosterschelde National Park on the Zuid-Beveland peninsula. Above all, the medieval harbor and the pretty two- and three-storey houses that line it up are popular photo backdrops. They weathered the storms of the times surprisingly well: Goes was hardly affected by the First and Second World Wars, and the town on the Veerse Meer remained dry during the devastating flood of 1953.

In general, Zeeland is criss-crossed by canals and watercourses, centuries-old ports connected the cosmopolitan region with the world outside: "Zee in Land", the people of Zeeland like to say.

The light, the sea and the special views over a flat, wide land "aan Zee" attracted well-known painters, including Pieter (Piet for short) Mondrian, who moved into his domicile in the fashionable seaside resort in Domburg at the address Zuidstraat 10, which still exists today , in the immediate vicinity of Badpaviljoen, a classically playful 19th-century coffee and bathhouse right on the beach. Today the building houses a restaurant with a terrace overlooking the dunes and the water.

The place is well suited for a break - also for cyclists who are on the dike with a view of the pearly white, wide and wide sandy beaches in the direction of Oostkapelle and on to Breezand and want to relax for a few minutes from the sometimes strong headwind. An oak forest, 200 years old, is an exceptional nature reserve along the coast of Walcheren from Domburg to the municipality of Veere. It is only very rarely that dense forest nestles up to the extensive dunes like here.

You can also find them when, after crossing the delta, you go via the Oosterschelde to the island of Schouwen-Duiveland in the direction of the nature reserves at Westerschouwen. The character of the extensive natural landscape has been preserved here, despite the many new holiday homes and jumbo campsites that have been added in the last 15 years. These are mostly hidden behind high hedges and blend surprisingly well into the landscape.

Many of the accommodations are located directly on the dykes of the Zeeland Islands, for example on Walcheren or in the southwestern part of the Netherlands, Zeeuws-Flanders. The special domiciles include the simply kept beach houses: beach holiday homes in the dunes of Breezaand and Vrouwenpolder, for example, with an unobstructed view of the sea and direct access to the water via the beach.

In almost all parts of Zeeland there is also a well-developed, well-signposted network of cycle paths. Anyone who hasn't run out of breath with "Fietsen", cycling, can keep going to the most remarkable port town in the province.

Zierikzee is the name of the historical place that is particularly steeped in history and is proud of its rich built heritage. And it can be that too: the old town is a kind of total work of art, of the buildings in the city center there are a total of 500 listed buildings.

Boat holidaymakers and pleasure boaters regularly moor along the pier in the city harbor of Zierikzee. There is always a fresh breeze blowing in from the sea, which is particularly pleasant in summer. The harbor restaurants and cafés are well stocked, and from the "Thick Tower" of the Zierikzee Minster, visitors have a fantastic panorama over the city and the water at a height of 70 meters.

You float above things, so to speak, enjoy the vastness of the landscape, taste the salt of the sea, feel the soothing silence of the flat, green land and breathe in the beguiling sea air. More summer "aan Zee" is not possible.

Arrival: By car via Antwerpen/Bergen op Zoom on the A 58 to Middelburg or N59 from the north via Rotterdam to Zierikzee. Trains end at Zierikzee, Middelburg, Goes or Breskens train stations (bahn.de).

Accommodation: In the dignified Art Nouveau residence or the bright apartment buildings, the real Zeeland feeling sets in immediately. The "Villa Magnolia" is hidden on the outskirts of the village of Oostkapelle, double rooms with breakfast from 135 euros (villamagnolia.nl). Things are livelier in the seaside resort of Domburg. The Hotel Ter Duyn is located at the foot of the dunes and only 30 meters from the beach. Ideal place for quiet days on Walcheren, double room with breakfast from 116 euros (hotelterduyn.nl). One of the best houses in Zeeland is the "Mondragon" in the town of Zierikzee. Equipped with every comfort, excellent hotel restaurant, double room with breakfast from 170 euros (mondragon.nl).

The choice of holiday homes near the sea is large in many parts of Zeeland. A wide selection can be found on the platforms roompot.de and seelandferienhaus.com.

Water culture: In the Watersnoodmuseum (watersnoodmuseum.nl) the great flood that struck Zeeland in 1953 is vividly presented. The artificial and uninhabited island in the middle of the Oosterschelde houses the Delta Park Neeltje Jans and shows which large structures have been built to secure Zeeland (neeltjejans.nl).

Information: zeeland.com; holland.com

This article was first published in July 2021.