Ellewoutsdijk ( zea, Ellesdiek) is a village 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 E ...

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 Borsele, and lies about 18 km east of

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 ...

History

The village was first mentioned in 1216 as Elewoldesdike, and means "

dike Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to: General uses * Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian" * Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment * Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice * Dikes ...

of Elewold (person)". Ellewoutsdijk developed in the 11th century on a ridge on the former island of Borssele. A creek used to extend to the market square, but has silted up. A church was known to be located on a ''

terp A ''terp'', also known as a ''wierde, woerd, warf, warft, werf, werve, wurt'' or ''værft'', is an artificial dwelling mound found on the North European Plain that has been created to provide safe ground during storm surges, high tides an ...

'' (artificial hill) since 1216. The medieval church was destroyed in 1944 by war. Between 1948 and 1951, the current Dutch Reformed church was built on the foundations of its predecessor. It is an aisleless church with a wide tower. A castle used to be located to the north of the village, and was home to the Lord of the ''

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. ...

'' Ellewoutsdijk, Driewegen, Everinge en Coudorpe. The ruins of the castle were demolished after 1822. Zorgvlied is an estate built in 1881 on the location of the former castle Ellewoutsdijk as the summer residence of J.C. van Hattum, owner of a

dredging Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing da ...

company, who had made his fortune during the construction of the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...

. The estate was destroyed in 1944. A modern villa has been built in its place. The park was damaged during the

North Sea flood of 1953 The 1953 North Sea flood was a major flood caused by a heavy storm surge that struck the Netherlands, north-west Belgium, England and Scotland. Most sea defences facing the surge were overwhelmed, causing extensive flooding. The storm and flo ...

. was built between 1835 and 1839 after the

independence of Belgium The Belgian Revolution (, ) was the conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. Th ...

to control the

Westerschelde The Western Scheldt ( nl, Westerschelde) in the province of Zeeland in the southwestern Netherlands, is the estuary of the Scheldt river. This river once had several estuaries, but the others are now disconnected from the Scheldt, leaving the W ...

. After the

German invasion of the Netherlands The German invasion of the Netherlands ( nl, Duitse aanval op Nederland), otherwise known as the Battle of the Netherlands ( nl, Slag om Nederland), was a military campaign part of Case Yellow (german: Fall Gelb), the Nazi German invasion of t ...

, it was used by the Germans who extended the fort and used it as a prison. After the war, it was used by the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

as ammunition depot. It is owned by

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 ...

since 1981 and publicly accessible. Ellewoutsdijk was home to 706 people in 1840. In 1927, a railway station was built on the

Goes Goes () is a city and municipality in the southwestern Netherlands on Zuid-Beveland, in the province of Zeeland. The city of Goes has approximately 27,000 residents. History Goes was founded in the 10th century on the edge of a creek: de Korte ...

Hoedekenskerke Hoedekenskerke is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Borsele, and lies about 22 km east of Middelburg. History The village was first mentioned around 1280 as Hoedekinskerke, and means "(private) ...

railway line. It closed in 1934. In 1944, the village was severely damaged during the

Battle of the Scheldt The Battle of the Scheldt in World War II was a series of military operations led by the First Canadian Army, with Polish and British units attached, to open up the shipping route to Antwerp so that its port could be used to supply the Allies ...

. Ellewoutsdijk used to be an independent municipality until 1970 when it was merged into Borsele. In 2003, the Westerscheldetunnel opened and is located between Ellewoutsdijk and

Terneuzen Terneuzen () is a city and municipality in the southwestern Netherlands, in the province of Zeeland, in the middle of Zeelandic Flanders. With almost 55,000 inhabitants, it is the most populous municipality of Zeeland. History First mentione ...

. It is the longest tunnel of the Netherlands, however the nearest exit is by car from the village.

Gallery

File:FortEllewoutsdijk-SouthEast.JPG, Fort Ellewoutsdijk File:EllewoutsdijkHafen.jpg, Harbour File:EllesdiekWeêle.jpg, View on Ellewoutsdijk File:Westerscheldetunnel - panoramio.jpg, Westerscheldetunnel

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Zeeland Former municipalities of Zeeland Borsele Populated coastal places in the Netherlands