Zoutelande ( Zeelandic: ''Zóetelande'') is a village 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 ...

. It is located in the

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 ...

of Veere, Zeeland, between

Dishoek Dishoek is a neighbourhood of Koudekerke in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Veere, and lies about 4 km west of Vlissingen Vlissingen (; zea, label=Zeelandic, Vlissienge), historically known in English ...

and Westkapelle on the former island

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 ...

. On 1 January 2005 it had 1,556 inhabitants. Originally, Zoutelande was mainly an

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...

village. The village's character changed slowly into a tourist resort as the demand for

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...

recreation Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasur ...

rose from about the middle of the 19th century. Zoutelande was a separate municipality until 1966, when it became a part of the new municipality Valkenisse. Nowadays,

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

is Zoutelande's most important source of existence. Zoutelande, together with the beach of Dishoek and Westkapelle, are often called "Zeeland's Rivièra", after the famous south-coast of France. It is one of Zeeland's most-visited coasts, and one of the few places in the Netherlands where the beach faces south. Plenty of rooms, studios, bungalows and apartments are available to thousands of visitors every summer; most of the tourists are of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

origin, although other nationalities are also widely represented. The remaining agriculture in the area benefits of the demand for accommodation in the form of mini-campings.

Bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

-rental, beachfront establishments,

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

s, B&Bs, shops and a boulevard are all to be found in and around the village. Like Domburg, Zoutelande was a favorite among Dutch painters, like

Ferdinand Hart Nibbrig Ferdinand Hart Nibbrig (5 April 1866 – 12 October 1915) was a Dutch painter and Theosophist. He was one of the first artists who introduced luminism to the Netherlands. Hart was his mother's maiden name. He adopted it in 1884 when all of her ...

, Piet Mondriaan and

Jan Toorop Johannes Theodorus 'Jan' TooropJan Toorop

2017 song of the same name by Dutch rock band

BLØF BLØF is a Dutch rock band from Vlissingen, Zeeland, founded in 1992 by Peter Slager. Current members are Peter Slager (bass), Paskal Jakobsen (lead vocals and guitar), Bas Kennis (keyboards), and Norman Bonink (drums). Former members are Henk ...

featuring Belgian singer Geike Arnaert; the song's popularity brought some increased interest in the village.

Monuments

Zoutelande has several

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, his ...

s, among them the Dutch Reformed

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

with a tower in which fragments of late 13th century

brick gothic Brick Gothic (german: Backsteingotik, pl, Gotyk ceglany, nl, Baksteengotiek) is a specific style of Gothic architecture common in Northeast and Central Europe especially in the regions in and around the Baltic Sea, which do not have resourc ...

can be found. In about 1500 the church was formed into a hall church. In 1573 the church was returned to its original state through war damage during 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 ...

. It is estimated that the tower and church got their present shape in about 1738. In 1950 a restoration took place. The parish of the church is connected through legend with 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 ...

. Unfortunately an old monument, the Willibrord Well, was lost due to the building of the present sea dyke. The well, created by Willibrord and dating from the sixteenth century, according to the legend contained healing water. Because of the building of a new dyke in the 1960s, slightly further inland than the old row of

dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...

s, part of the town had to be demolished. This is the reason why the church, which originally stood in the center of the village, is now almost at the foot of the dyke. In 1984 a new well was built to remember the legend. Zoutelande also has a windmill. It is a round, brick-built corn mill that originates from 1722.

References

External links

Zoutelande Tourist Information
{{Authority control Populated places in Zeeland Former municipalities of Zeeland Veere Populated coastal places in the Netherlands