Hulst () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

and

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

in southwestern

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

in the east of

Zeelandic Flanders Zeelandic Flanders ( ; ; )''Vlaanderen'' in isolation: . is the southernmost region of the province of Zeeland in the south-western Netherlands. It lies south of the Western Scheldt that separates the region from the remainder of Zeeland and th ...

History

Hulst received

city rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the tradition ...

in the 12th century. Hulst was captured from the Spanish in 1591 by Maurice of Orange but was recaptured by Archduke Albert in 1596. In 1640, the Dutch forces tried to conquer the city, but they were defeated in

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...

by the

Spanish Army The Spanish Army () is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest Standing army, active armies – dating back to the late 15th century. The Spanish Army has existed ...

under

Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand (also known as Don Fernando de Austria, Cardenal-Infante Fernando de España and as Ferdinand von Österreich; 16 May 1609 – 9 November 1641) was a Spanish and Portuguese prince (Infante of Spain, Infante of Portugal (u ...

, and Frederick Henry was forced to retreat. In 1645, the Siege of Hulst (to control the left bank of the Schelde river) occurred. It was led by

Prince of Orange Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by the stadtholders of, and then the heirs apparent of ...

Frederick Henry, during the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish Empire, Spanish government. The Origins of the Eighty Years' War, causes of the w ...

(1568–1648) with

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. In 1702 Vauban attacked the town, but failled to capture it, which makes it the only fortress to successfully resist that great engineer. In 1747 it was taken by the French after incompetent defence by Lt. General Pieter de la Rocque. In the seventeenth century, a

star fort A bastion fort or ''trace italienne'' (a phrase derived from non-standard French, meaning 'Italian outline') is a fortification in a style developed during the early modern period in response to the ascendancy of gunpowder weapons such as c ...

was constructed.Geschiedenis van Hulst
. Hulst Vestingstad The fortifications, constructed during that time, are historic examples of Dutch fortress architecture. The name Hulst (Holly in English) would appear to come from the shape of the battlements. Holly is depicted growing around the towns crest.

Geography

Hulst is located at in the south of the province of

Zeeland Zeeland (; ), historically known in English by the Endonym and exonym, exonym Zealand, is the westernmost and least populous province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the southwest of the country, borders North Brabant to the east ...

in the southwest of the

. It is situated in the east of the region

, which is connected by land only to

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, on the Dutch-Belgian border. Hulst is neighbouring the municipalities of

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 ...

in the west, Stekene (Belgium) and Sint-Gillis-Waas (B) in the south,

Beveren Beveren () is a former municipality in the Belgian province of East Flanders which comprises the towns of Beveren, Doel, Haasdonk, Kallo, Kieldrecht, Melsele, Verrebroek and Vrasene. The port of the Waasland (Dutch: ''Waaslandhaven'') ...

(B) in the east, and Reimerswaal in the north. The river

Western Scheldt The Western Scheldt ( ), 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 Westerschelde as ...

separates the land of Reimerswaal and Hulst. The Drowned Land of Saeftinghe (Verdronken land van Saeftinghe) is a natural reserve in the north of the municipality. Its name refers to the Saeftinghe legend. The population centers in the municipality are:

Government

The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of Hulst is Ilona Jense-van Haarst of the VVD. The former

is Jan-Frans Mulder of the

Christian Democratic Appeal The Christian Democratic Appeal ( , CDA) is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in the Netherlands. Formed as a federation in 1975 by the Catholic People's Party, the Anti-Revolutionary Party, and the Christian Historical ...

Culture

Since June 2018, the city has its own letter artwork (a local variation on the capital's ''I Amsterdam''). This work of art can be seen in turns at various locations in the municipality. The underlying idea is that the h at the beginning of a word is not pronounced in the

Zeelandic Zeelandic (; ; ) is a group of language varieties spoken in the southwestern parts of the Netherlands. It is currently considered a Low Franconian dialect of Dutch, but there have been movements to promote the status of Zeelandic from a dial ...

/ East Flemish dialect. By combining the letters n and h (in white and green) you can read the text in addition to . Under this concept , a campaign for and branding of the city of Hulst was launched simultaneously. Inulst mcahneven 7sep2018

''Letter artwork for the city of Hulst''

International relations

Hulst is twinned with

Notable people

* Johannes Crabbe (c. 1420–1 November 1488),

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

, Imperial counsellor and

bibliophile A bookworm or bibliophile is an individual who loves and frequently reads or collects books. Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. Bibliophiles may have large, specialized book collections. They may highly value old editions, aut ...

. * Cornelius Jansen (1510 in Hulst – 1576) was a Catholic exegete and the first

Bishop of Ghent The Diocese of Ghent (Latin: ''Dioecesis Gandavensis'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Belgium. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolis (religious jurisdiction), metropol ...

* Gillis Mostaert ''(the Elder)'' (1528 in Hulst – 1598) a Flemish Renaissance painter and draughtsman * Frans Mostaert (1528 in Hulst – 1560) a Flemish Renaissance painter specializing in landscape paintings * Valentin de Lannoy a Flemish military commander and governor of Hulst in 1623 *

Cornelis de Vos Cornelis de Vos (1584 - 9 May 1651) was a Flemish painter, Drawing, draughtsman and art dealer. He was one of the leading portrait painters in Antwerp and is best known for his sensitive portraits, in particular of children and families. He w ...

(1584 in Hulst – 1651) a Flemish painter, draughtsman and art dealer * Paul de Vos (ca.1591/92 in Hulst – 1678) a Flemish Baroque painter of animals, hunting scenes and still lifes *

Pieter Nuyts Pieter Nuyts or Nuijts (159811 December 1655) was a Dutch Exploration, explorer, diplomat and politician. He was part of a landmark expedition of the Dutch East India Company in 1626–1627 which mapped the southern coast of Australia. He bec ...

(1598 in Middelburg – 1655) a Dutch explorer, diplomat and politician *

(1640 in Middelburg – 1709) a Dutch poet and dramatist * Theo Middelkamp (1914 in Nieuw-Namen – 2005) a Dutch cyclist, world champion in 1947

Gallery

File:Cornelis de Vos - View of Hulst.jpg, ''View of Hulst'' painted in 1628 by

File:Hulst, de Gentse Poort in straatzicht RM22736 foto4 2013-05-06 14.05.jpg, Gate (de Gentse Poort) File:Hulst, straatzicht Gentsestraat foto2 2013-05-06 14.08.jpg, View to a street: de Gentsestraat File:HulstOude huizen.JPG, Historical houses File:HulstMonument1.JPG, Monument on the defensive

rampart Rampart may refer to: * Rampart (fortification), a defensive wall or bank around a castle, fort or settlement Rampart may also refer to: * LAPD Rampart Division, a division of the Los Angeles Police Department ** Rampart scandal, a blanket ter ...

of Hulst File:Als de vos1.JPG, Artwork by Kris Ferket File:Hulst - Refugium Ten Duinen 1.jpg, The museum De Vier Ambachten, former refugium of the Abbey Our Lady Ten Duinen File:HulstRavelijn.JPG, Hulst Ravelijn

References

External links

Official website
(in Dutch) {{Authority control Cities in the Netherlands Municipalities of Zeeland Populated places in Zeeland Zeelandic Flanders