Zeeland

For other places with the same name, see Zealand (disambiguation).

Zeeland is a province of the Netherlands consisting of islands and peninsulas interconnected by the dams and bridges of the Delta Works (Deltawerken). Translated into English, Zeeland literally means "Sea Land" because that's basically what it is. The capital city is Middelburg. The area is very flat making it ideal terrain for cycling.

Cities

• 1 Middelburg — the capital city of Zeeland with a historic heritage
• 2 Domburg — one of the oldest coastal resort towns in the Netherlands, known for its beautiful beaches, dunes, and lush forests
• 3 Goes — old city on the peninsula Zuid-Beveland
• 4 Hulst — historic fortified city near the border with Belgium, the finest and best-preserved one in Zeeland
• 5 Sluis — cute little city close to the border with Belgium
• 6 Terneuzen — a seaport in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen
• 7 Tholen — the double peninsula of Tholen
• 8 Vlissingen — port town with windy beaches, cycling opportunities and seafood
• 9 Westkapelle — small village on the most western point of Walcheren
• 10 Zierikzee — a relatively small historic town with many protected monuments.

Other destinations

• 1 Delta Works — the dams and sluices that protect the land masses of Zeeland
• 2 Verdronken Land van Saeftinghe - A nature reserve located on the Dutch-Belgian border. The larger part of which is located in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen.

Understand

A muraltmuur on the former island of Wolfersdijk, now part of Zuid-Beveland. A muraltmuur is a wall that is used to raise the height of a dike.

Zeeland is the second Dutch province when counting on reclaimed land, following behind Flevoland, which was fully reclaimed from the Zuiderzee. Zeeland historically consisted of tens of islands, which, at spring tides, would flood. Much of the land in Zeeland is polderland, land reclaimed from the sea. In 1953, however, a very large spring tide and a northwest storm combined to flood most of the province. It wasn't long before the Dutch government started the Delta Works to protect the province so that such a disaster could not happen again. The Delta Works consisted of building large dams connecting the most western points of the province's peninsulas. Along with this, many dikes were raised. The Delta Works now connect up to Rotterdam in South Holland, and made Zeeland into a safe location to visit, and many Dutch, Belgian and German tourists do so.

New Zealand, which was discovered by Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in 1642, is named after this very province.

Get in

By car

Zeeland is in the south-west of the country. While all the islands are interconnected and connected to the mainland by fast roads now, the province still retains a somewhat insular nature. On summer days major roads may become busy since there are no good alternatives for them.

By train

Zeeland has only one railway line, extending from Bergen op Zoom and Roosendaal in North Brabant to Middelburg and Vlissingen. There is only one train service on this line, the Intercity 2600 that connects the abovementioned stations directly to the Schiphol Airport, and the most important destinations in South Holland, North Holland and Flevoland, i.a., Rotterdam, Delft, the Hague, Leiden, Amsterdam, Almere and Lelystad. The Intercity runs every half an hour.

By air

Zeeland has no airports with scheduled passenger service. The easiest way to arrive in Zeeland by air is by landing at Schiphol Airport and taking the abovementioned Intercity train. An alternative is Rotterdam the Hague airport, which has a more indirect connection to the said railway line.

You can also approach Zeeland from Belgium. Antwerp is right next to Zeeland's southern region of Zeeuws-Vlanderen, but its small airport sees very limited passenger service. The Brussels Airport has many more connections, but no direct public transit options to Zeeland.

Private aviation pilots may try landing at the Midden-Zeeland Airport in Middelburg, which has a single grass runway of 1 km.

Get around

Beach near Zoutelande.

By bicycle

As almost everywhere in The Netherlands exploring on bike is a good idea. There is an excellent infrastructure of cycle paths. Signed bicycle routes along points (Dutch: Knooppuntennetwerk) allow you to set up your own route through the beautiful landscape.

By bus

Connexxion operates a good bus network in all of the province, although some services are reduced in terms of frequency or routes in the weekend and late nights. Use 9292 to plan your travel via public transport.

By ferry

A fast ferry for pedestrian and cyclist only is being operated by Veolia between Vlissingen and Breskens.

By train

NS, the national railway, provide frequent connections between Vlissingen, Middelburg, Goes and some smaller towns.

See

Sunrise near Cadzand.

• The Oosterschelde storm surge barrier, a massive operable sea dam with an artificial island at its center.
• When you're really interested in this Oosterscheldekering you can visit Neeltje Jans. This is an attraction park where you learn everything about water and the Delta Works (Deltawerken).
• Veerse Meer -This is a lake or inland lagoon that was closed off to the sea in 1961. See w:Veerse_Meer.

Go next

• Ouddorp: if you are interested in trains, there is a tramway museum here. http://www.rtm-ouddorp.nl/.