Vlissingen (; zea, label=

Zeelandic Zeelandic ( zea, Zeêuws; nl, Zeeuws; vls, Zêeuws) is a group of Friso-Franconian language varieties spoken in the southwestern parts of the Netherlands. It is currently considered a Low Franconian dialect of Dutch, but there have been move ...

, Vlissienge), historically known in English as Flushing, is a

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

and a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

in the southwestern

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

on the former island 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 two ...

. With its strategic location between the

Scheldt The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of Netherlands, the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corr ...

river and 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 Norwegian S ...

, Vlissingen has been an important harbour for centuries. It was granted

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 1315. In the 17th century Vlissingen was a main harbour for ships of the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...

(VOC). It is also known as the birthplace of Admiral

Michiel de Ruyter Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter (; 24 March 1607 – 29 April 1676) was a Dutch admiral. Widely celebrated and regarded as one of the most skilled admirals in history, De Ruyter is arguably most famous for his achievements with the Dutch N ...

. Vlissingen is mainly noted for the yards on the

where most of the ships of the

Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy ( nl, Koninklijke Marine, links=no) is the naval force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. During the 17th century, the navy of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795) was one of the most powerful naval forces in the world an ...

(''Koninklijke Marine'') are built.

Geography

The municipality of Vlissingen consists of the following places: * City: Vlissingen * Villages:

Oost-Souburg Oost-Souburg is a town in the municipality of Vlissingen in the province of Zeeland, Netherlands. History The village was first mentioned in 1162 as Sutburch, and used to mean "southern fortified place", because it was the most southern of thre ...

Ritthem Ritthem is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is located in the municipality of Vlissingen, about 4 kilometres east of the city. History The village was first mentioned in 1235 as Rithem, and means "settlement near reed". Ritthem is ...

, and

West-Souburg West-Souburg is a neighbourhood of Vlissingen and former village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is part of the municipality of Vlissingen, and has been annexed by the city. The village was first mentioned in 1162 as Sutburch, and used to me ...

* Hamlet: Groot-Abeele

History

VROOM Hendrick Cornelisz The Arrival at Vlissingen of the Elector Palatinate Frederick V

The fishermen's hamlet that came into existence at the estuary of the

Schelde The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to ...

around AD 620 has grown over its 1,400-year history into the third-most important port of the

. The

Counts of Holland The counts of Holland ruled over the County of Holland in the Low Countries between the 10th and the 16th century. House of Holland The first count of Holland, Dirk I, was the son or foster-son of Gerolf, Count in Frisia (Dijkstra suggests th ...

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

, and

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 ...

had the first harbours dug. Over the centuries, Vlissingen developed into a hub for fishing, especially the

herring Herring are forage fish, mostly belonging to the family of Clupeidae. Herring often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans, i ...

fishery, commerce, privateering and the

slave trade Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. The first reliable records of Old Vlissengen date from a charter of 1247, when the town already had a church and an infirmary; another in 1264 mentions a ''steenhuus'' or castle, the foundations of which were uncovered during the construction of a new town hall in 1965. In 1294, the town was purchased by

Floris V, Count of Holland Floris V (24 June 1254 – 27 June 1296) reigned as Count of Holland and Zeeland from 1256 until 1296. His life was documented in detail in the Rijmkroniek by Melis Stoke, his chronicler. He is credited with a mostly peaceful reign, modern ...

, who recognised the strategic and economic potential of its location and began its development. The port facilities were further extended in the mid-15th century, financed by a local monopoly in the herring trade. In the mid-16th century, the town fell into poverty due to the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Refo ...

, the Dutch revolt against Spanish occupation, and particularly owing to the punitive taxes imposed by the

Duke of Alba Duke of Alba de Tormes ( es, Duque de Alba de Tormes), commonly known as Duke of Alba, is a title of Spanish nobility that is accompanied by the dignity of Grandee of Spain. In 1472, the title of ''Count of Alba de Tormes'', inherited by G ...

. In April 1572, the townspeople staged a successful uprising, expelling the Flemish garrison, firing at ships bringing reinforcements and hanging a Spanish nobleman in front of the town hall. Under the

Treaty of Nonsuch The Treaty of Nonsuch was signed on 10 August 1585 by Elizabeth I of England and the Dutch rebels fighting against Spanish rule. It was the first international treaty signed by what would become the Dutch Republic. It was signed at Nonsuch Palac ...

in 1585, English garrisons were stationed here and at

Brill Brill may refer to: Places * Brielle (sometimes "Den Briel"), a town in the western Netherlands * Brill, Buckinghamshire, a village in England * Brill, Cornwall, a small village to the west of Constantine, Cornwall, UK * Brill, Wisconsin, an un ...

to keep these ports out of Spanish hands. The towns were sold back to the Dutch in 1616. During the heyday of the

Dutch Golden Age The Dutch Golden Age ( nl, Gouden Eeuw ) was a period in the history of the Netherlands, roughly spanning the era from 1588 (the birth of the Dutch Republic) to 1672 (the Rampjaar, "Disaster Year"), in which Dutch trade, science, and Dutch art, ...

, ships from Vlissingen set sail for the various outposts of the Dutch colonial empire and contributed to the world power of The Seven Provinces. The history of Vlissingen was also marked by invasion, oppression and bombardments. Because of its strategic position at the mouth of the

, the most important passageway to

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

, it has attracted the interest, at one time or another, of the British, the French, the Germans and the Spanish. Floods have also been a constant threat. Vlissingen declined during the 18th century. The

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

were particularly disastrous. After 1870, the economy revived after the construction of new docks and the

canal, the arrival of the railway and the establishment of the shipyard called De Schelde. The

Second World War 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 ...

interrupted this growth. The city was heavily damaged by shelling and inundation but was captured and liberated by British

Commando Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...

s of

4th Special Service Brigade The 4th Special Service Brigade was a brigade-sized formation of the British Commandos formed during the Second World War in March 1944 from battalion-sized units of the Royal Marines. Due to the success of the British Army Commandos' operations ...

on 3 November 1944. The city was rebuilt after the war. In the 1960s, the seaport and industrial area of Vlissingen-Oost developed and flourished. Now this area is the economic driving force behind central

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 ...

, generating many thousands of jobs. Nowadays approx. 50,000 ships annually from all corners of the world pass through the Schelde.

Name

Etymology

The derivation of the name Vlissingen is unclear, though most scholars relate the name to the word ''fles'' ("bottle") in one way or another. According to one story, when saint

Willibrord Willibrord (; 658 – 7 November AD 739) was an Anglo-Saxon missionary and saint, known as the "Apostle to the Frisians" in the modern Netherlands. He became the first bishop of Utrecht and died at Echternach, Luxembourg. Early life His fathe ...

landed in Vlissingen with a bottle in the 7th century, he shared its contents with the beggars he found there while trying to convert them. A miracle occurred, typical of

hagiography A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies migh ...

, when the contents of the bottle did not diminish. When the bishop realised the beggars did not want to listen to his words, he gave them his bottle. After that, he supposedly called the city ''Flessinghe''. Another source states that the name had its origins in an old ferry-service house, on which a bottle was attached by way of a sign. The monk Jacob van Dreischor, who visited the city in 967, then apparently called the ferry-house ''het veer aan de Flesse'' ("the ferry at the Bottle"). Because many cities in the region later received the appendix ''-inge'', the name, according to this etymology, evolved to ''Vles-inge''. According to another source, the name was derived from the Danish word ''Vles'', which means "tides". The eastern cape of

Novaya Zemlya Novaya Zemlya (, also , ; rus, Но́вая Земля́, p=ˈnovəjə zʲɪmˈlʲa, ) is an archipelago in northern Russia. It is situated in the Arctic Ocean, in the extreme northeast of Europe, with Cape Flissingsky, on the northern island, ...

Cape Flissingsky Cape Flissingsky ( rus, Мыс Флиссингский; Mys Flissingskiy) is a cape on Northern Island, Novaya Zemlya, Russia. It is considered the easternmost point of Europe, including islands. The cape was discovered by Willem Barents i ...

was named after the city in 1596 by

Willem Barentsz Willem Barentsz (; – 20 June 1597), anglicized as William Barents or Barentz, was a Dutch Republic, Dutch navigator, cartographer, and Arctic explorer. Barentsz went on three expeditions to the far north in search for a Northern Sea Route, N ...

Historical English name "Flushing"

Vlissingen was historically called "Flushing" in English. In the 17th century, Vlissingen was important enough for English speakers that it had acquired an anglicised name. For example,

Samuel Pepys Samuel Pepys (; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English diarist and naval administrator. He served as administrator of the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament and is most famous for the diary he kept for a decade. Pepys had no mariti ...

referred to the town as "Flushing" in his diaries. In 1673, Sir William Temple referred to Vlissingen as "Flushing" once and "Flussingue" twice in his book about the Netherlands. Some English writers in the Netherlands also used the Dutch name. The American settlement of

Flushing Flushing may refer to: Places * Flushing, Cornwall, a village in the United Kingdom * Flushing, Queens, New York City ** Flushing Bay, a bay off the north shore of Queens ** Flushing Chinatown (法拉盛華埠), a community in Queens ** Flushing ...

, originally a Dutch colonial village founded in 1645 and now part of

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, was first called Vlissingen after the town in the Netherlands. The English settlers who also came to live in the village shortened the name to "Vlissing" by 1657 and then began to call it by its English name "Flushing." The Anglicisation of "Vlissingen" into "Flushing" did not occur after the conquest of

New Netherland New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the East Coast of the United States, east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territor ...

, but in England well before then. This village was the site of the

Flushing Remonstrance The Flushing Remonstrance was a 1657 petition to Director-General of New Netherland Peter Stuyvesant, in which some thirty residents of the small settlement at Flushing requested an exemption to his ban on Quaker worship. It is considered a precu ...

. The village of

in Cornwall was also named after Vlissingen. Originally named Nankersey, the village was given its name by Dutch engineers from Vlissingen in the Netherlands who built the three main quays in the village. Michigan and Ohio in the US have villages called Flushing as well.

Gallery

File:Vlissingen Beursgebouw R01.jpg, The Market building at Beursplein (Marketsquare) File:Vlissingen, monumentale winkelpanden foto5 2010-09-18 10.03.JPG, Part of the shopping street Walstraat in 2010 File:Vlissingen, standbeeld Michiel de Ruyter RM37831 foto3 2014-02-23 11.56.jpg, Statue Michiel de Ruyter File:Vlissingen, de Oranjemolen RM37834 foto10 2014-02-23 11.26.jpg,

Windmill A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called windmill sail, sails or blades, specifically to mill (grinding), mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and ...

: de Oranjemolen File:Vlissingen, straatzicht Nieuwendijk foto8 2015-09-29 14.50.jpg, View to a port and a street (de Nieuwendijk)

Topography

Topographic map of Vlissingen (city), Sept. 2014

Climate

Vlissingen has a temperate

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''Cfb'') that is milder than the rest of the Netherlands due to its more southern location on the coast. It is approximately 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer annually than

Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...

in the northeast. It is also one of the sunniest cities in the Netherlands, receiving approximately 180 more sunshine hours than

Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...

in the southeast. Its all-time record is set on 27 July 2018 and on 21 February 1956.

Notable people

Pageantry

The Arts

Petrus Cunaeus Petrus Cunaeus (1586, in Vlissingen – 2 December 1638, in Leiden) was the pen name of the Dutch Christian scholar Peter van der Kun. His book ''The Hebrew Republic'' is considered "the most powerful statement of republican theory in the earl ...

(1586–1638) Dutch Christian scholar, wrote ''The Hebrew Republic'' *

Adriaan Dortsman Adriaan Dortsman (1635, Vlissingen – 1682, Amsterdam), was a Dutch Golden Age architect of Amsterdam. Biography According to the RKD he moved to Amsterdam in 1667 and is known for drawings and architectural designs.Betje Wolff Elizabeth ("Betje") Wolff-Bekker (24 July 17385 November 1804) was a Dutch novelist who, with Agatha "Aagje" Deken, wrote several popular epistolary novels such as ''Sara Burgerhart'' (1782) and ''Willem Levend'' (1784). Biography Betje Bekker w ...

(1738–1804) a Dutch novelist *

Jacobus Bellamy Jacob (Jacobus) Bellamy (November 12, 1757 in Vlissingen, Netherlands – March 11, 1786 in Utrecht) was a Dutch poet. Biographical notes Jacobus Bellamy was the son of Jacques Bellami jr. and Sara Hoefnagel. His father died when he was 4. His ...

(1757–1786) a Dutch poet *

Paula de Waart Paula de Waart (1 January 1876 – 2 December 1938) was a Dutch film actress of the silent era. She appeared in 24 films between 1915 and 1935. Filmography * '' Het Mysterie van de Mondscheinsonate'' (1935) * '' The Man in the Background' ...

(1876–1938) a Dutch film actress * Helene Koppejan (1927-1998) a Dutch astrologer and entrepreneur *

Hans Verhagen Hans Verhagen (3 March 1939 – 10 April 2020) was a Dutch journalist, poet, painter and filmmaker, born in Vlissingen. He gained the P. C. Hooft Award in 2009 "for his humour, his engagement, his poetic daring and whimsy."Accordéon Mélancolique Accordéon Mélancolique is a Dutch accordion duo consisting of Cherie de Boer (born 10 June 1950 in Jakarta) and Jean-Pierre Guiran (born 27 January 1957 in Vlissingen). The duo is founded in 1984. In 1997 they were asked to play during the fif ...

Arendo Joustra Arendo Joustra (born 19 July 1957, in Vlissingen) is a Dutch writer and journalist. Joustra is the editor in chief of the Dutch newsweekly ''Elsevier'' and a commentator on politics and the Dutch monarchy. He is a co-author of books on the Dutch ...

(born 1957) a Dutch writer and journalist

Science

Jan Bekker Teerlink Jan Bekker Teerlink (baptized 17 August 1759 – 4 December 1832) was a Dutch plant and seed collector and winemaker. Origin He was born in Vlissingen as son of pharmacist Joris Teerlink and Christina Bekker. As his mother was a sister of the 18t ...

(1759–1832) a Dutch plant and seed collector and winemaker *

Martin Kalbfleisch Martin Kalbfleisch (February 8, 1804 – February 12, 1873) was a Dutch pioneer in the chemical industry, mayor of the city of Brooklyn, New York, and a United States representative from New York during the American Civil War. He served one term ...

(1804–1873) a Dutch pioneer in the chemical industry and a US politician *

Egbert Cornelis Nicolaas van Hoepen Egbert Cornelis Nicolaas van Hoepen (10 November 1884 – 2 May 1966) was a Dutch-born South African paleontologist. Biography Born at Vlissingen, around the age of six he moved with his parents to the South African Republic. When British for ...

(1884–1966) a Dutch

paleontologist Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

* Prof.

Bonno Thoden van Velzen Hendrik Ulbo Eric "Bonno" Thoden van Velzen (5 April 1933 – 26 May 2020) was a Dutch anthropologist, Surinamist and Africanist. Life Thoden van Velzen was born on 5 April 1933 in Vlissingen. His father was a coxswain in the merchant navy an ...

(born 1933) a Dutch

anthropologist An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms and ...

Maarten de Rijke Maarten de Rijke (born 1 August 1961) is a Dutch computer scientist. His work initially focused on modal logic and knowledge representation, but since the early years of the 21st century he has worked mainly in information retrieval. His work is ...

(born 1961) a Dutch computer scientist, worked on

modal logic Modal logic is a collection of formal systems developed to represent statements about necessity and possibility. It plays a major role in philosophy of language, epistemology, metaphysics, and natural language semantics. Modal logics extend other ...

and

knowledge representation Knowledge representation and reasoning (KRR, KR&R, KR²) is the field of artificial intelligence (AI) dedicated to representing information about the world in a form that a computer system can use to solve complex tasks such as diagnosing a medic ...

Admirals

Joos de Moor Joos de Moor (1548 or 1558 – 18 February 1618) was a Dutch Vice Admiral of Zeeland from the 16th century. In 1603 in the Battle of Sluis he defeated a Spanish fleet under Admiral Federico Spinola Federico Spinola (1571–1603) was an It ...

(1548 or 1558 – 1618) a Dutch Vice Admiral of Zeeland * Laurens Alteras (died 1622) a Dutch (Zealandic) vice admiral *

Joost Banckert Joost van Trappen Banckert (c.1597 – 12 September 1647) was a Dutch Vice Admiral who worked most of his sailing life for the admiralty of Zeeland. He was born in Vlissingen in 1597 or 1599. Early in his career he was active against the Dunk ...

(c.1597–1647) a Dutch Vice Admiral *

Johan Evertsen Johan Evertsen (1 February 1600 – 5 August 1666) was a Dutch admiral who was born in the 17th century. Early life Like his five brothers, Evertsen started his military career as a lieutenant after the death of his father, "Captain Jan". He q ...

(1600–1666) a Dutch admiral *

Mårten Anckarhielm Maerten Thijssen, died 1657, was a Dutch admiral who entered into Swedish service, becoming a Swedish admiral and a Swedish nobleman under the name Mårten Anckarhielm. He played an important role at the Battle of Fehmarn 1644. Dutch Service Thij ...

(died 1657) a Dutch admiral who entered into Swedish service *

Abraham Crijnssen Abraham Crijnssen (died 1 February 1669) was a Dutch naval commander, notable for capturing the English colony in Suriname in 1667 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War, resulting in the establishment of a long-term colony under Dutch control. Th ...

(died 1669) a Dutch naval commander *

(1607–1676) a widely celebrated Dutch admiral *

Cornelis Evertsen the Elder Cornelis Evertsen the Elder (4 August 1610 – 11 June 1666) was a Dutch admiral. Cornelis Evertsen the Elder was the son of Johan Evertsen and Maayken Jans; grandson of Evert Heindricxsen, a ''Watergeus'', both commanders of men-of-war of the na ...

(1610–1666) a Dutch admiral. *

Adriaen Banckert Adriaen van Trappen Banckert (c.1615 – 22 April 1684) was a Dutch admiral. In English literature he is sometimes known as ''Banckers''. His first name is often rendered in the modern spelling ''Adriaan''. ''Van Trappen'' was the original family ...

(c.1615–1684) a Dutch admiral *

Cornelis Evertsen the Younger Cornelis Evertsen the Younger (Flushing, Netherlands, Flushing, 16 April 1628 – Flushing, 20 September 1679) was a Dutch Admiral from the 17th century. Cornelis was the son of Lieutenant-Admiral Johan Evertsen and the nephew of Lieutenant-A ...

(1628–1679) a Dutch Admiral * Cornelis Evertsen the Youngest (1642–1706) a Dutch admiral *

Engel de Ruyter Engel Michielszoon de Ruyter (2 May 1649 – 27 February 1683) was a Dutch vice-admiral. Biography

De Ruyter was born in Vlissingen, the son of lieutenant admiral Michiel de Ruyter and his second wife Cornelia Engels. He began his naval servi ...

(1649–1683) a Dutch vice-admiral

Other maritime travellers

Willem Verstegen Willem Verstegen (c. 1612 – 1659) was a merchant in service of the Dutch East India Company and VOC Opperhoofden in Japan, chief trader of factory in Dejima. Life Willem Verstegen was born around 1612 in Vlissingen, Netherlands. In 1629, ...

(c.1612–1659) a merchant in service of the

and chief trader of factory *

Pieter Ita Pieter Adriaanszoon Ita was a 17th-century Dutch privateer. He was also an admiral in the Dutch West India Company and, in 1628, commanded a large expedition against Portuguese and Spanish interests in the Caribbean. The expedition was one of the ...

(active 1620s) a Dutch privateer and an admiral in the

Dutch West India Company The Dutch West India Company ( nl, Geoctrooieerde Westindische Compagnie, ''WIC'' or ''GWC''; ; en, Chartered West India Company) was a chartered company of Dutch merchants as well as foreign investors. Among its founders was Willem Usselincx ( ...

Nicholas van Hoorn Nicholas van Hoorn (c. 1635 in Vlissingen – buried 24 June 1683, in Isla Mujeres) was a merchant sailor, privateer and pirate. He was born in the Netherlands and died near Veracruz after being wounded on the Isla de Sacrificios. ''Nikolaas'' or ...

(c.1635–1683) a merchant sailor, privateer and pirate *

Jasper Danckaerts Jasper Danckaerts (7 May 1639, Vlissingen – 1702/1704, Middelburg) was the founder of a colony of Labadists along the Bohemia River in what is now the US state of Maryland. He is known for his journal, kept while traveling through the territor ...

(1639–1702/1704) the founder of a colony of

Labadists The Labadists were a 17th-century Protestant religious community movement founded by Jean de Labadie (1610–1674), a French pietist. The movement derived its name from that of its founder. Jean de Labadie's life Jean de Labadie (1610–1674) ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

* Jan Erasmus Reyning (1640–1697) a Dutch pirate, privateer and naval officer *

Samuel van der Putte Samuel van der Putte (26 February 1690 – 27 September 1745) was a Dutch explorer, linguist, and naturalist most famous for his journeys in Asia, especially to Tibet. Life Van der Putte was born on 26 February 1690 in Vlissingen in the Du ...

(1690–1745) a Dutch explorer, linguist and naturalist; journeyed in Asia, especially to Tibet Els Vader 1980

Sport

Joris Tjebbes Joris Willem Eelco Tjebbes (5 November 1929, in Vlissingen – 31 July 2001, in Hoogeveen) was a Dutch freestyle swimmer. He won a bronze medal at the 1950 European Aquatics Championships and competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Sum ...

(1929–2001) a Dutch freestyle swimmer, competed at the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

Nel Fritz Pieternella "Nel" Fritz (later Zandee; born 4 June 1937) is a retired Dutch gymnast. She competed at the 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( ...

(born 1937) a retired Dutch gymnast, competed in all artistic gymnastics events at the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...

Els Vader Elisabeth Cornelia "Els" Vader (married Scharn) (24 September 1959 – 8 February 2021) was a track and field sprinter from the Netherlands. She competed at the 1980, 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics in the 100 m, 200 m and 4 × 100 m relay (in 1 ...

(1959-2021) a Dutch track and field sprinter, competed at the

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

and

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

Danny Blind Dirk Franciscus "Danny" Blind (; born 1 August 1961) is a Dutch former football player and coach. He played as a defender for Sparta Rotterdam, Ajax and the Netherlands national team. As coach he has managed Ajax and the Netherlands national te ...

(born 1961) a former Dutch international football player *

Lex Veldhuis Alexander Bastiaan Martin "Lex" Veldhuis (born 29 December 1983) is a Dutch professional poker player and Twitch streamer from Vlissingen, Netherlands. History Veldhuis was formerly a StarCraft player. During an international event he met the Fr ...

(born 1983)

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 ...

professional

poker Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game w ...

player

Transport

Railway stations A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing such ...

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 ...

, Vlissingen Souburg. *

Ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

connection to

Breskens Breskens is a harbour town on the Westerschelde in the municipality of Sluis in the province of Zeeland, in the south-western Netherlands. Its population is 4,787 (). The town is noted for the ''Visserijfeesten'' (Fishery Festival), the largest f ...

, since the

Western Scheldt Tunnel Western Scheldt Tunnel ( nl, Westerscheldetunnel, Westerscheldetunnel) is a tunnel in the Netherlands that carries highway N62 under the Western Scheldt estuary between Ellewoutsdijk and Terneuzen. It is the longest tunnel for highway traffic in ...

was opened in March 2003 for pedestrians and cyclists only. :* There used to be a

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

service to

Sheerness Sheerness () is a town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 11,938, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby town ...

operated by

Olau Line Olau Line was a shipping company that existed from 1956 to 1994. It operated a ferry service from the United Kingdom to the Netherlands from 1974 until 1994. Originally based in Denmark, the company passed under the ownership of the German TT-Li ...

. It was discontinued in 1994. Vliss StJacob

In popular culture

*Vlissingen is the setting for part of

Arthur Ransome Arthur Michell Ransome (18 January 1884 – 3 June 1967) was an English author and journalist. He is best known for writing and illustrating the ''Swallows and Amazons'' series of children's books about the school-holiday adventures of childre ...

's children's adventure novel ''

We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea ''We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea'' is the seventh book in Arthur Ransome's ''Swallows and Amazons'' series of children's books. It was published in 1937. In this book, the Swallows (John, Susan, Titty and Roger Walker) are the only recurring cha ...

''. *Vlissingen is also the setting for most of the film '' The Fourth Man''. *Vlissingen is also the hometown of Mynheer Claessens and his daughter Johanna, the heroine of Rafael Sabatini's 1929 novel "The Romantic Prince". The Hero, Count Anthony and Master Danvelt, having landed by ferry from Breskens, enter the massive fortifications by the Scheldt Gate and ride the short distance to the Claessen's handsome house by the Groote.p49 of the House of Stratus edition, ch4. The Romantic Prince, Rafael Sabatini, 2001 *

The Forgotten Battle ''The Forgotten Battle'' ( nl, De Slag om de Schelde) is a 2020 Dutch World War II film directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. that depicts the Battle of the Scheldt in 1944. The film follows a Dutch Axis soldier played by Gijs Blom, a British ...

, a

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

movie.

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control Cities in the Netherlands Municipalities of Zeeland Populated places in Zeeland Populated coastal places in the Netherlands Seaside resorts in the Netherlands Port cities and towns in the Netherlands Port cities and towns of the North Sea Walcheren