Haamstede is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland. The village is known for

Haamstede Castle Haamstede Castle (Dutch: ''Slot Haamstede'') is a castle in the village of Haamstede on the island of Schouwen-Duiveland. It is a rijksmonument. Castle characteristics The keep dates from the 13th century. In 1525 Haamstede castle (except the d ...

History

The village was first mentioned in 1229 as Haemstede, and means "place with a house or farm". Haamstede is a circular village around a church. The first church was built in the first half of the 10th century. Until 1229, it was a ''

heerlijkheid A ''heerlijkheid'' (a Dutch word; pl. ''heerlijkheden''; also called ''heerschap''; Latin: ''Dominium'') was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and judicial unit in rural areas in the Dutch-speaking Low Countries before 1800. ...

'' of the Lords of Renesse who built a castle. After 1454, Haamstede became a possession of the County of Burgundy. The castle was restored in the 17th century, and Haamstede developed into a castle village. The

keep A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...

dates from the 13th century. In 1525,

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (Crown of Castile, Castil ...

organised a party in the castle to celebrate his victory over France. Due to carelessness, the castle burnt down. The castle was confiscated by the

States of Zeeland The Provincial Council of Zeeland ( nl, Provinciale Staten van Zeeland), also known as the States of Zeeland, is the Provincial council (Netherlands), provincial council of Zeeland, Netherlands. It forms the legislative body of the province. Its 3 ...

in 1591 and sold. In 1608, it was owned by

Jacob van den Eynde Jacob van den Eynde (c. 1515 – 8 or 12 March 1569) was a Dutch statesman, Pensionary of the Brugse Vrije, Pensionary of Delft, and Grand Pensionary of Holland. Jacob van den Eynde was first Councilor and Pensionary of Delft. In 1560 he became ...

who restored and enlarged the castle. In 1853, it became property of the Van der Lek de Clercq family. The castle was restored 1888. In 1981, the castle with forest and dunes became property of

Natuurmonumenten Vereniging tot Behoud van Natuurmonumenten in Nederland ( en, Society for Preservation of Nature Monuments in the Netherlands), also known as Vereniging Natuurmonumenten, is a Dutch nature conservation organization founded in 1905 by Jacobus Pi ...

to ensure its future and make the castle accessible to the public. The Dutch Reformed church is a three aisled cruciform church without a tower or choir which was built in the early 16th century as a replacement of the 11th century church which burnt down in 1506. The church was restored in 1956. Haamstede was home to 819 people in 1840. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Haamstede developed into a tourist site and started to form a single urban area with

Burgh A burgh is an autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland and Northern England, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burg ...

. Haamstede was a separate municipality until 1961, when it was merged into

Westerschouwen Westerschouwen is a former municipality in the Dutch province of Zeeland. The municipality was formed in a merger of the municipalities Burgh, Haamstede, Noordwelle, Renesse, and Serooskerke on January 1, 1961. As the name indicates, it covered ...

. In 1997, it became part of the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland.

Buildings

* Dutch Reformed church *

Westerlichttoren The Westerlichttoren or West Schouwen is a lighthouse in Haamstede, Netherlands. Designed by L. Valk, it was built in 1837. At 47 m above ground and a light stand at 58 m above sea level it is one of the tallest lighthouses in the Netherlands. Th ...

lighthouse

Gallery

File:Slot Haamstede met poortgebouw.JPG, Haamstede Castle File:Smederij Haamstede-2.jpg, Former forge of Haamstede File:Haamstede Watertoren 6119.JPG, Former water tower File:Landal Résidence thof van Haamstede - panoramio.jpg, Hotel in Haamstede

References

External links

Tourist information website
{{Authority control Schouwen-Duiveland History of Schouwen-Duiveland Populated places in Zeeland Former municipalities of Zeeland