Hulst () 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 ...

and

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 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 ...

in the east of

Zeelandic Flanders Zeelandic Flanders ( ; zea, Zeêuws-Vlaonderen; vls, Zêeuws-Vloandern)''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 ...

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 traditio ...

in the 12th century. Hulst was captured from the Spanish in 1591 by

Maurice of Orange Maurice of Orange ( nl, Maurits van Oranje; 14 November 1567 – 23 April 1625) was ''stadtholder'' of all the provinces of the Dutch Republic except for Friesland from 1585 at the earliest until his death in 1625. Before he became Prince o ...

but was recaptured by Archduke Albert in 1596. In 1640, the Dutch forces tried to conquer the city, but they were defeated in battle by the

Spanish Army The Spanish Army ( es, Ejército de Tierra, lit=Land Army) is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest active armies — dating back to the late 15th century. The ...

, 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 originally associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by sovereigns in the Netherlands. The titl ...

Frederick Henry, 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 Ref ...

(1568–1648) with

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. A further siege took place in 1702, where General

Menno van Coehoorn Menno, Baron van Coehoorn (; March 1641 – 17 March 1704) was a Dutch soldier and engineer, regarded as one of the most significant figures in Dutch military history. In an era when siege warfare dominated military campaigns, he and his French ...

defended the town successfully for the Dutch and in 1747 when 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, literally meaning ''Italian outline'') is a fortification in a style that evolved during the early modern period of gunpowder when the cannon came to domin ...

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 , 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 ...

in the southwest of the

. It is situated in the east of the region

, which is connected by land only to

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

, 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 mentio ...

in the west,

Stekene Stekene () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. Since 1976, the municipality has comprised the towns of Kemzeke, Klein-Sinaai and Stekene proper. It also includes the village Koewacht. In 2021, Stekene had a total ...

(Belgium) and

Sint-Gillis-Waas Sint-Gillis-Waas (;Every word in isolation: . french: Saint-Gilles-Waes) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of De Klinge, , Sint-Gillis-Waas proper and . On 1 January 2018, Sin ...

(B) in the south,

Beveren Beveren () is a 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'') is in Beveren ...

(B) in the east, and

Reimerswaal The name Reimerswaal () can mean: *Reimerswaal (city) Reimerswaal () is a lost city in the Netherlands. The present-day municipality of Reimerswaal is named after this city, which was granted city rights in 1374. The city was destroyed by repea ...

in the north. The river

Western Scheldt 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 th ...

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 Saeftinghe Legend is an Old Dutch folk tale that explains the sunken city of Saeftinghe in eastern Zeelandic Flanders near Nieuw-Namen, The Netherlands, that existed until it was entirely flooded by sea waters in 1584. The legends says the cit ...

. The population centers in the municipality are:

Government

The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a 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 responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Hulst is Jan-Frans Mulder of the

Christian Democratic Appeal The Christian Democratic Appeal ( nl, Christen-Democratisch Appèl, ; CDA) is a Christian-democratic political party in the Netherlands. It was originally formed in 1977 from a confederation of the Catholic People's Party, the Anti-Revolution ...

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 ( 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 mov ...

/ 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 Johannes Crabbe ( 1420 – 1 November 1488) was abbot of Ten Duinen Abbey in present-day Belgium, an imperial counsellor and bibliophile. Johannes Crabbe was born in a middle-class family in Hulst. He made a career within the Catholic church, e ...

(c. 1420–1 November 1488),

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. Th ...

, Imperial counsellor and

bibliophile Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. A bibliophile or bookworm is an individual who loves and frequently reads and/or collects books. Profile The classic bibliophile is one who loves to read, admire and collect books, often ama ...

. *

Cornelius Jansen Cornelius Jansen (, ; Latinized name Cornelius Jansenius; also Corneille Jansen; 28 October 1585 – 6 May 1638) was the Dutch Catholic bishop of Ypres_in_Flanders.html" ;"title="atholic-Hierarchy]/ref> Its seat was Saint Martin's Cathedra ...

(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 metropolitan Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels ...

* 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 Valentin de Lannoy was a Flemish military commander and Knight of the Golden Fleece. Family He was the younger son of Jacques de Lannoy, Lord of la Motterie and brother of Claude de Lannoy, 1st Count of la Motterie Claude de Lannoy (1578–1643) ...

a Flemish military commander and governor of Hulst in 1623 *

Cornelis de Vos Cornelis de Vos (1584 – 9 May 1651) was a Flemish painter, 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 was ...

(1584 in Hulst – 1651) a Flemish painter, draughtsman and art dealer *

Paul de Vos Paul de Vos (1591/92, or 1595 in Hulst – 30 June 1678 in Antwerp) was a Flemish Baroque painter who specialized in mainly in compositions of animals, hunting scenes and still lifes. He worked for an elite clientele and was a regular collaborato ...

(ca.1591/92 in Hulst – 1678) a Flemish Baroque painter of animals, hunting scenes and still lifes *

Pieter Nuyts Pieter Nuyts or Nuijts (born 1598 – 11 December 1655) was a Dutch explorer, diplomat and politician. He was part of a landmark expedition of the Dutch East India Company in 1626–27 which mapped the southern coast of Australia. He became t ...

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

(1640 in Middelburg – 1709) a Dutch poet and dramatist *

Theo Middelkamp Theofiel ("Theo") Middelkamp (23 February 1914 – 2 May 2005) was a Dutch road cyclist. In 1947, Middelkamp became world champion. In 1936, he was the first Dutch cyclist ever to win a stage in the Tour de France. Biography Middelkamp was bor ...

(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: * "O'er the Ramparts We Watched" is a key line from " The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the ...

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