Biervliet is a small city in the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

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 ...

. It is a part of the municipality 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 ...

, and lies about 16 km South of

Vlissingen Vlissingen (; ) is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river and the North Sea, Vlissingen has been an importan ...

. Biervliet 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 1183. It was originally a fishing village which specialised in

herring Herring are various species of forage fish, belonging to the Order (biology), order Clupeiformes. Herring often move in large Shoaling and schooling, schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate wate ...

. The flood of 1375 resulted in the creation of the former inlet Braakman, and after the St. Elizabeth's flood of 1404, Biervliet was on an island. In 1572, it was captured by the

Geuzen ''Geuzen'' (; ; ) was a name assumed by the confederacy of Calvinist Dutch nobles, who from 1566 opposed Spanish rule in the Netherlands. The most successful group of them operated at sea, and so were called ''Watergeuzen'' (; ; ). In the Eigh ...

. From 1619 onwards, the surrounding areas were enclosed with dikes and harbour disappeared in 1866. The

Dutch Reformed The Dutch Reformed Church (, , abbreviated NHK ) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the traditional denomination of the Dutch royal fami ...

Church in Biervliet has a number of intact stained windows dating from 1660 to 1661. The Catholic Our Lady Immaculate Conception church is a three-aisled

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

church which was built between 1857 and 1858 to replace the medieval Mary church. Biervliet was home to 1,860 people in 1840. Biervliet used to be an independent municipality. In 1970, it was merged into

Notable people

It is the home town of William Buckels (or Beuckelszoon), a 14th-century fisherman credit for inventing the process of preparing

soused herring Soused herring is raw herring soaked in a mild preserving liquid. It can be raw herring in a mild vinegar pickle or Dutch brined herring. As well as vinegar, the marinade might contain cider, wine or tea, sugar, herbs (usually bay leaf), s ...

known as gibbing.

Gallery

File:Biervliet - Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Onbevlekt Ontvangenkerk 1.jpg, Our Lady Immaculate Conception church File:Markt 15.jpg, House in Biervliet File:Biervliet - De Harmonie 1.jpg, Wind mill De Harmonie File:Voor- en zijgevel, Burg.v.Maarleveldstr. 8 - Biervliet - 20034786 - RCE.jpg, Former town hall (1967)

References

{{Authority control Former municipalities of Zeeland Populated places in Zeeland Terneuzen