Schouwen-Duiveland () is a

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

and an

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

in the southwestern

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

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 ...

. The municipality has 33,737 inhabitants (1 January 2016) and covers an area of (of which is water). The northside of the island has two fixed connections to

Goeree-Overflakkee Goeree-Overflakkee () is the southernmost river delta, delta island of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is separated from Voorne-Putten and Hoeksche Waard by the Haringvliet, from the mainland of North ...

, the Brouwersdam and the Grevelingen. The southside has two fixed connections to cross the

Oosterschelde The Eastern Scheldt () is a former estuary in the province of Zeeland, Netherlands, between Schouwen-Duiveland and Tholen on the north and Noord-Beveland and Zuid-Beveland on the south. It also features the largest Oosterschelde National Pa ...

to North Beveland, the Stormvloed Kering or Oosterscheldedam, part of the

Delta Works The Delta Works () is a series of construction projects in the southwest of the Netherlands to protect a large area of land around the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta from the sea. Constructed between 1954 and 1997, the works consist of dams, slu ...

and the Zeeland Bridge. The island is mostly flat and is, besides a small area, below the sea level. On the western tip is a dune whose highest point is about 42 meters above sea level. The island is, in the summer, very popular with (German) tourists. The Renesse area is a popular holiday destination for young people. The Brouwersdam is a

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

, part of the

, from Schouwen-Duiveland to

Goedereede Goedereede () is a little city and former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The former municipality had a population of about 11,000 in 2010. It consisted of the west part of the island of Goeree-Overflak ...

, the west part of the island of

South Holland South Holland ( ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.8 million as of January 2023 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely populated areas. ...

History

The island of Schouwen-Duiveland originally consisted of four islands: Schouwen, Duiveland, Dreischor, and Bommenede. Over the centuries it has grown by nature and man together. The dam between Schouwen and Duiveland dates from 1610. On 30 April 1900 the Rotterdam Tramway Company opened a steam tram line on the island running as public transport until 1 February 1953. After the floods of 1953, the service has not been restored and has been replaced by a bus line. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Schouwen-Duiveland was the only Zeelandic island that remained under German occupation until May 1945. In December 1944, the Germans had declared their intent to deport all local men aged between 17 and 40. The local resistance fighters made plans to sabotage this by stealing all the registers on the island with the help of nearby Allies, who were preparing to liberate the island. Events unfolded that led to the capture of ten local men who were subsequently executed. After the completion of the Brouwersdam in 1972 the island became a center of water sports. Surfing, sailing and diving are common activities on the North Sea beaches and the Grevelingenmeer.

Geography

Topography

''Dutch Topographic map of the island of Schouwen-Duiveland, as per Sept. 2014.''

Demography

The main population centres are listed in the tables below (as of 2021). There are two places in Schouwen-Duiveland, Zierikzee and Brouwershaven, which in the past had gained city rights. Then there are the hamlets Looperskapelle, Moriaanshoofd, Nieuwerkerk, Nieuwerkerke, Schuddebeurs, Westenschouwen,

Zierikzee Zierikzee () is a small city in the southwest Netherlands, 50 km southwest of Rotterdam. It is situated in the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland, Zeeland. The city hall of Schouwen-Duiveland is located in Zierikzee, its largest city. Zierikze ...

, Beldert, Brijdorpe, Burghsluis,

Capelle Capelle (also ''Kapelle'') is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is located about 6 km west of Waalwijk. The village was first mentioned in 1257 as Capella, and means chapel. The original village was flooded in the St. E ...

, Elkerzee and New Haamstede. The town hall is in Zierikzee. There is no village called Schouwen-Duiveland; the municipality takes its name from the island, which received its name when the former islands Schouwen and Duiveland (and Dreischor) were

polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrology, hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as levee, dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclamation, Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a ...

ed together.

Nature in Schouwen-Duiveland

A large number of nature reserves can be found on Schouwen-Duiveland. They are usually managed by Staatsbosbeheer. Most nature reserves are accessible to visitors. The areas are particularly suitable for bird watchers and cyclists. In the nature of Schouwen Duiveland, European special species such as avocet, curlew and plover can be found. Boswachterij Westerschouwen is the largest forest in the province of Zeeland. In addition to the nature in and around the Grevelingenmeer, the following nature reserves can be found on Schouwen-Duiveland: *Boswachterij Westerschouwen (Westenshouwen Forest) *Kop van Schouwen *Slikken van Dijkwater *Dorpsbos Sirjansland (Sirjansland Village Forest) *Duinzoom *Gadra *Kakkersweel (Small lake between Kerkwerve & Noordgouwe) *Karolingische Burcht *Krekengebied Ouwerkerk *Meeuwenduinen *Naterskreek *Plan Tureluur ( Redshank reserve) *Prunje *Schelphoek (Wetland on site of former hamlet near Serooskerke) *Schouwse Dijkbeemden *Schuddebeurs (natuurgebied) *De Steenzwaan (The Stone Swan - creek/wetlands near Nieuwerkerk) *Vliegveld (natuurgebied) *Vroongronden *Zoeten en Zouten Haard

Governance

The municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland on 1 January 1997 came about after six municipalities were merged. These municipalities were Brouwershaven, Bruinisse, Duiveland, Middenschouwen, Westerschouwen and

. These six municipalities were created on 1 January 1961 from a previous reclassification.

City council

The council of Schouwen-Duiveland consists of 23 seats. Below is the composition of the council since 1997: On 13 November 1996 ¹ reclassification elections were held. The first council was launched on 1 January 1997.
Explanations for the bracketed number of councillors for some parties between the 2018 and 2022 elections are below: *A councilor of the VVD left the party in 2018 and joined Leefbaar Schouwen-Duiveland in 2019. *A councilor of the ChristenUnie left the party in 2019 and joined the CDA *A councilor of GroenLinks left the party in 2018 and continued under the name "Lijst Jet van Gent" *"List Jet van Gent/ Hart voor Schouwen-Duiveland" merged with Leefbaar Schouwen-Duiveland in 2021"

Mayor & Aldermen

*Mayor Jack van der Hoek (None) *Councillor Jacqueline Burg ( Liveable Schouwen-Duiveland ) *Alderman Daniël Joppe ( CDA ) *Alderman Paula Schot ( SGP ) *Alderman Ankie Smit ( GroenLinks ) *Alderman Hanno Canters ( Liveable Schouwen-Duiveland ) *Secretary Simone Bronsveld

Culture

Renesse World War II and Occupation Victims Memorial 2

There are a number of national monuments in the municipality, including the war memorial at Oude Moolweg in Renesse and the Jewish Memorial on Caustraat in Zierikzee. The war memorial commemorates in particular the ten local resistance fighters executed by the Germans on 10 December 1944. It also commemorates all local citizens who died during the Second World War and the ' police actions' in the Dutch East Indies. The Westenschouwen mermaid was the main character in a saga that is localized in Zeeland relating to the destruction of the village Westenschouwen on the island of Schouwen-Duiveland. The mermaid saga explains the decline of this once prosperous village. The saga predicts the demise of the village, with only the tower remaining. After the tower was demolished in 1845, the Plompe Tower was seen as the remaining tower of Westenschouwen. Plompe Tower is open to tourists and when you open the door of the tower the story of the mermaid will be played automatically and displayed via a carousel stories. The mermaid is celebrated in the local coat of arms.

Notable residents

Public thinking & public service

* John III, Lord of Renesse (1249–1304) Zeeland nobleman and warrior * Cornelius van Zierikzee (ca.1405 n Zierikzee – 1462) a Dutch priest, worked in Scotland * Petrus Peckius the Elder (1529 in Zierikzee – 1589) jurist, wrote about maritime law * Bonifacius de Jonge (1567 in Zierikzee – 1625) was Grand pensionary of Zeeland 1615-1625 * Joost Berman (1793 in Ouwerkerk – 1855) lawyer, judge, politician, poet, writer and editor * Alexander Johan Berman (1828 in Zierikzee – 1886) the Dutch Reformed minister of Watergang * Anton Constandse (1899 in Brouwershaven – 1983) a Dutch anarchist, author and journalist * George van Heukelom (born 1949) a Dutch former politician * Leen van Dijke (born 1955 in Oosterland) a retired Dutch politician * Hugo de Jonge (born 1977 in Bruinisse) a Dutch politician &

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...

* Rutger Bregman (born 1988 in Westerschouwen) a Dutch popular historian and author

The arts

* Jacob Cats (1577 in Brouwershaven – 1660) a Dutch poet, humorist, jurist and politician, famous for his emblem books * Charles Hofmann (1763 – 1823 in Zierikzee) a Dutch musician and composer * Henry Van der Weyde (1838 in Zierikzee – 1924) Dutch-born English painter and photographer * Leonard Ochtman (1854 in Zonnemaire – 1935) a Dutch-American Impressionist painter * Digna Sinke (born 1949 in Zonnemaire) a Dutch film director, producer and screenwriter * Jan van den Bosch (born 1950) TV presenter on RTL5 Dutch Wiki, Jan van den Bosch * Ester Naomi Perquin (born 1980) a Dutch poet, brought up in Zierikzee

Science & business

* Jacob Bellaert (born in Zierikzee) an early publisher of 17 books in Haarlem from 1483-1486 *

Levinus Lemnius Levinus Lemnius (20 May 1505 in Zierikzee – 1 July 1568 in Zierikzee) was a Dutch physician and author. Life Lemnius studied medicine at the University of Leuven under Rembert Dodoens and Konrad Gesner; and under Vesalius at Padua. He ...

(1505 in Zierikzee – 1568 in Zierikzee) a Dutch physician and author * Johannes Cornelis de Jonge (1793 in Zierikzee – 1853) Chief Archivist of the Dutch National Archives * Johannes van de Velde Olivier (1795 in Serooskerke – 1845) a publisher, printer, bookbinder and bookseller * Pieter de Looze (1811–1881) newspaper publisher, founded the '' Zierikzeesche Nieuwsbode'' *

Pieter Zeeman Pieter Zeeman ( ; ; 25 May 1865 – 9 October 1943) was a Dutch physicist who shared the 1902 Nobel Prize in Physics with Hendrik Lorentz for their discovery and theoretical explanation of the Zeeman effect. Childhood and youth Pieter Zeeman was ...

(1865 in Zonnemaire – 1943) a Dutch physicist who shared the 1902

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

in Physics for their discovery of the

Zeeman effect The Zeeman effect () is the splitting of a spectral line into several components in the presence of a static magnetic field. It is caused by the interaction of the magnetic field with the magnetic moment of the atomic electron associated with ...

Sport

Adrie Koster Adrianus Cornelis "Adrie" Koster (; born 18 November 1954) is a Dutch football manager who was most recently the manager of Willem II. He is a former winger and former manager of Ajax, Club Brugge and the Netherlands U21 team. Career He p ...

(born 1954 in Zierikzee) a Dutch football manager *

Nelli Cooman Cornelli "Nelli" Antoinette Hariëtte Cooman (born 6 June 1964) is a former Dutch athlete of Surinamese origin. At the 60 metres, she is two-time World indoor champion, six-time European indoor champion and former world record holder, running ...

(born 1964) 60 metres two-time World indoor champion, six-time European indoor champion and former world record holder. Lives in Nieuwerkerk

Gallery

File:Straatje in de vissersplaats Buinisse..JPG, Street in the fishing village of Buinisse File:Zonnemaire.jpg, Zonnemaire File:Aan de Korte Ring in Brunisse..JPG, Aan de Korte Ring in Brunisse File:Vergezicht op de stad, gezien vanaf de Havendijk - Zierikzee - 20374037 - RCE.jpg, View of the city, seen from the Havendijk - Zierikzee

References

External links

* (in Dutch) {{Authority control Municipalities of Zeeland Islands of Zeeland Regions of Zeeland Regions of the Netherlands Municipalities of the Netherlands established in 1997 Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta Islands of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta