Sluis (; zea, label= Zeelandic, Sluus ; french: Écluse) is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

and

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 ...

located in the west of Zeelandic Flanders, in the south-western Dutch province of Zeeland. The current incarnation of the municipality has existed since 1 January 2003. The former municipalities of Oostburg and Sluis-Aardenburg merged on that date. The latter of these two municipalities was formed from a merger between the previous municipality named Sluis and the former municipality of Aardenburg in 1995.

History

The town 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 1290. In 1340 the Battle of Sluys was fought nearby at sea during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantagen ...

. There is a record of one of the first lotteries with money on 9 May 1455 of 1737 florins (US$170,000, in 2014). 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 ...

in 1587 the town was captured by Spanish troops under the

Duke of Parma The Duke of Parma and Piacenza () was the ruler of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, a historical state of Northern Italy, which existed between 1545 and 1802, and again from 1814 to 1859. The Duke of Parma was also Duke of Piacenza, excep ...

and was retaken in 1604 by a Dutch and English force under Maurice of Nassau. From 2006 until its closure in 2013, Oud Sluis was one of only two

Michelin Michelin (; ; full name: ) is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes ''région'' of France. It is the second largest tyre manufacturer in the world behind Bridgestone and larg ...

three-starred restaurants in the entire country.

Geography

In addition to the town of Sluis itself, the municipality is made up of the following population centres: Sint Anna ter Muiden, with a population of only 50 (2001), is a small village about 1 km west of the town of Sluis, located on the westernmost point of the Netherlands.

Demography

The population of the city is 2,040 (as of 2001).

Transport

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 ta ...

connection across the Westerschelde exists between Breskens and

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 ...

. After the opening of the Westerschelde tunnel near Terneuzen in 2003, the ferry now carries only pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

Notable people

* John Crabbe (before 1305 in Muide – 1352) a Flemish merchant, pirate and soldier * Joost de Soete (ca.1510/1520 in Sluis – 1589) a Dutch nobleman and Field Marshal *

Jacob van Loo Jacob van Loo (1614 – 26 November 1670) was a painter of the Dutch Golden Age, chiefly active in Amsterdam and, after 1660, in Paris. Van Loo is known for his conversational groupings; particularly his mythological and biblical scenes generally ...

(1614 in Sluis – 1670) a painter 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 art and ...

Joan Blasius Joan Leonardszoon Blasius (13 April 1639 – 6 December 1672) was a Dutch poet, playwright, translator and lawyer. Born near Cadzand in Oostvliet, a village now lost to the North Sea, he was the younger brother of the famous doctor Gerard Blasius. ...

(1639 in Cadzand — 1672) a Dutch poet, playwright, translator and lawyer * Johanna Jacoba van Beaumont (ca.1752 in Sluis - 1827) a politically active journalist, feminist and editor * Johan Hendrik van Dale (1828 in Sluis - 1872) a Dutch teacher, archivist and lexicographer * Ernst Oppler (1867–1929) German impressionist painter, lived for some years in Sluis *

Jan Eekhout Jan Henrik Eekhout (born 10 January 1900 in Sluis - died 6 March 1978 in Amsterdam) was a Dutch writer, poet and translator, particularly known as the author of the novel ''Pastoor Poncke'' ("Pastor Poncke"). During the Second World War Eekhout w ...

(1900 in Sluis - 1978) a Dutch writer, poet, translator and Nazi * Herman Wijffels (born 1942 in Turkeye) a retired Dutch politician and businessman *

Hans Wijers Gerardus Johannes "Hans" Wijers (born 11 January 1951) is a Dutch retired politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party, and businessman. He is the chairman of the supervisory board of ING Group since 2018. Early life After secondary school at Hog ...

(born 1951 in Oostburg) a retired Dutch politician and businessman *

Ate de Jong Ate de Jong (born 1953 in Aardenburg, Zeeland, Netherlands) is a Dutch film director. He is best known as the producer of ''The Discovery of Heaven'' (2001), nominated for a Golden Calf award, and ''Het Bombardement'' (2012). Filmography Direc ...

(born 1953 in Aardenburg) a Dutch film director IMDb Database
retrieved 5 August 2019

Sport

* Willem van Hanegem (born 1944 in Breskens) a Dutch former football midfielder with over 50 caps and 600 appearances in the top flight of association football * Annabel Kosten (born 1977 in Oostburg) a retired freestyle swimmer, bronze medallist at the 2004 Summer Olympics

Gallery

File:Sluis town hall.jpg, The town hall and the Belfort in Sluis File:Sluis church.jpg, The channel and the catholic church in Sluis File:Sint Anna ter Muiden2.jpg, A street of the village Sint Anna ter Muiden File:Retranchement, de Retranchementse Molen RM33921 foto6 2015-09-25 14.15.jpg, Retranchement, de Retranchementse Molen

References

External links

*
Official website
(in Dutch) {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2019 Zeelandic Flanders Populated places in Zeeland Municipalities of Zeeland Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 1995 Municipalities of the Netherlands established in 2003 Cities in the Netherlands