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Domburg is a
seaside resort A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, such as in the German ' ...
on the
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegia ...
, on the northwest coast of
Walcheren Walcheren () is a region and former island in the Dutch province of Zeeland at the mouth of the Scheldt estuary. It lies between the Eastern Scheldt in the north and the Western Scheldt in the south and is roughly the shape of a rhombus. The ...
in the
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People ...
province of
Zeeland , nl, Ik worstel en kom boven("I struggle and emerge") , anthem = "Zeeuws volkslied"("Zeelandic Anthem") , image_map = Zeeland in the Netherlands.svg , map_alt = , m ...
. It is a part of the municipality of
Veere Veere (; zea, label= Zeelandic, Ter Veere) is a municipality with a population of 22,000 and a town with a population of 1,500 in the southwestern Netherlands, in the region of Walcheren in the province of Zeeland. History The name ''Veere ...
, and lies about 11 km northwest of the city of Middelburg, the provincial capital.


Demographics

In 2010, the town of Domburg had 1,490 inhabitants, up from 1,251 in 2001. The built-up area of the town was 0.78 km2, and contained 881 residences.


History

The area of Domburg has been inhabited since at least 4,000 BCE. In 1647 after heavy storms on the beach of Domburg a sanctuary was discovered with around 40 stones with Latin inscriptions and carvings of several gods, among them of
Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times ...
(sea) and Mercury (trade), but the majority of a local female deity:
Nehalennia Nehalennia (spelled variously) is a goddess of unclear origin, perhaps Germanic or Celtic. She is attested on and depicted upon numerous votive altars discovered around what is now the province of Zeeland, the Netherlands, where the Schelde Rive ...
who appears to have protected both trade and shipping. According to the inscriptions the stones were erected by tradesmen and captains to fulfil their vows after a safe journey, mentioning explicitly on one stone a merchant of pottery doing business with Britain. From a later period (starting 650 AD) many coins have been found on the beach including Anglo-Saxon
sceattas A ( ; ang, sceatt , ) was a small, thick silver coin minted in England, Frisia, and Jutland during the Anglo-Saxon period that normally weighed 0.8–1.3 grams. History Its name derives from Old English ', meaning "wealth", "money", and "coi ...
. The settlement on the exact present day location of Domburg however originates from a circular earthen citadel that was discovered according to expectations by archaeologists in 1991 and which was dated to around 875 AD a period shortly after recorded raids by Danes. In the following centuries there would be considerable activity by monks, not in the least because of salt works and the reclamation of land by which the island of Walcheren was formed. Near Domburg the mediaeval castle of Westhove, now a family hostel, used to be a stronghold of the abbot of the Abbey of Middelburg. The town of Domburg, actually more a village, surprisingly received a
city charter A city charter or town charter (generically, municipal charter) is a legal document (''charter'') establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages. Traditionally the granting of a charte ...
at the early date of 1223. Probably because the counts of Holland had to seek refuge on the island in some neighbourly quarrel. Until the 19th century the town did not change much in its agricultural and (some) fishing character, although tourism started in the 17th century with cityfolk from Middelburg who would enjoy a Sunday trip to the area in summer because of its coast and woodlands and merry inns. Wealth from both West- and East Indian trade also enabled many merchants from Middelburg and Flushing to build manorhouses with lavish gardens in the area, but only a few have survived. The lordship of Domburg used to belong to the dukes of Burgundy when they were counts of both Holland and Zeeland. For financial reasons they sold Domburg to a lesser branch of their family from which it eventually ended up in the hands of private individuals and passing through the hands of more than one family until lordship rights were completely abolished in 1848. Mostly they were rich merchants from Zeeland cities who returned from India after having served as the director of trade in for example Bengalen. For a long time Domburg consisted of two
jurisdictions Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, areas of jurisdiction apply to local, state, and federal levels. Jur ...
: Domburg-Binnen (the town and coast) and Domburg-Buiten (the country side). In 1816 they were united into a single municipality, into which the village of Oostkapelle was merged in 1966. At the end of the last century all the smaller towns of Walcheren were joined to form the municipality of Veere. Starting 1834 Domburg became a seaside resort offering a bathing cure and facilities. A small ''Badpaviljoen'' was built shortly after on top of the dunes, which was replaced by a larger one in 1888 which offered space for gentleman playing billiards and ladies drinking tea, a concert room, a seaview veranda and more of such amenities that beach life requires. Most important for its development was however the arrival of a railway station at Flushing and a connecting steamship service with England. A considerable British influence in these years was responsible for Domburg establishing the second golf-course in the Netherlands, although it never expanded over a friendly nine holes. Like in so many seaside resorts at the end of the 19th century a flock of European royalty landed at Domburg for a few years when the resort was fashionable only to move along again a few years later. The Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Pommern regularly arrived in the town by private-charter train on Stoomtram Walcheren. Instrumental however in the mythology of the place and the mentioned fashion was the very successful doctor Johann Georg Mezger who achieved international fame for his scientific approach of physiotherapy and for being the founding father of Swedish massage. Domburg is perhaps best known for its hosting of a group of artists of which Piet Mondriaan or Mondrian is the best known. His ''Pier and Ocean'' paintings was inspired by the same location where
James Abbott McNeill Whistler James Abbott McNeill Whistler (; July 10, 1834July 17, 1903) was an American painter active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom. He eschewed sentimentality and moral allusion in painting and was a leading pr ...
painted the Domburg sea with its characteristic piers which do not cater for the happy crowd but are meant to break waves that may damage the dunes and thus the existence of the place. This lead Domburg to be a testing ground for
Leiden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration with ...
's
De Stijl ''De Stijl'' (; ), Dutch for "The Style", also known as Neoplasticism, was a Dutch art movement founded in 1917 in Leiden. De Stijl consisted of artists and architects. In a more narrow sense, the term ''De Stijl'' is used to refer to a body o ...
movement. (For references to literature see Dutch language page) Statistics Netherlands (CBS), ''Bevolkingskernen in Nederland 2001'

. (Statistics are for the continuous built-up area).
The statistical area "Domburg", which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 1650.Statistics Netherlands (CBS), ''Statline: Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2003-2005'' . As of 1 January 2005.


Items of local interest

*Once the location of shrine dedicated to
Nehalennia Nehalennia (spelled variously) is a goddess of unclear origin, perhaps Germanic or Celtic. She is attested on and depicted upon numerous votive altars discovered around what is now the province of Zeeland, the Netherlands, where the Schelde Rive ...
. *Formerly the western terminus of Stoomtram Walcheren which ran to Koudekerke, Middelburg and
Vlissingen Vlissingen (; zea, label=Zeelandic, Vlissienge), historically known in English as Flushing, is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren. With its strategic l ...
.


Pictures

Image:Kerk in domburg the Netherlands.jpg, Church in Domburg Image:Domburgkerk4.JPG, Church in Domburg


References


External links


Tourist Information Domburg
{{Authority control Seaside resorts in the Netherlands Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 1997 Former municipalities of Zeeland Populated places in Zeeland Walcheren Veere