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Kortgene, Colijnsplaat, Kats

As you cycle quietly through the varied Zeeland landscape, you cross a mosaic of green shades. The tour takes you past the historic village of Colijnsplaat, a place that has been inhabited for thousands of years. However, centuries of habitation were interrupted by German invasions and several floods, forcing the population to find refuge elsewhere in the year 275. Only a few centuries later did people settle here again and, after the storm surge of 1014, did they begin to protect themselves against the advancing water by building dikes.

Kortgene, Colijnsplaat, Kats

As you cycle quietly through the varied Zeeland landscape, you cross a mosaic of green shades. The tour takes you past the historic village of Colijnsplaat, a place that has been inhabited for thousands of years. However, centuries of habitation were interrupted by German invasions and several floods, forcing the population to find refuge elsewhere in the year 275. Only a few centuries later did people settle here again and, after the storm surge of 1014, did they begin to protect themselves against the advancing water by building dikes.

Zierikzee, Colijnsplaat, Burghsluis

The province of Zeeland has endured many disasters over the centuries. The south-west of the Netherlands was regularly confronted with storm surges. The first time it was written in the year 838 was about 2,437 victims of a disaster in which the water was as high as the tops of the dunes.

On September 28, 1014, thousands died as a result of a flood disaster. And in 1404 and 1421 respectively, the First and Second St. Elizabeth’s Flood occurred, an extremely high storm surge that not only lost thousands of lives but also destroyed dozens of villages into the sea. The St. Felix Flood followed in 1530 and the All Saints Flood in 1570. Even though the All Saints Flood was predicted, more than 20,000 people died during this flood and another four villages disappeared into the sea.

In 1906 and 1916, heavy storm surges occurred, which were surpassed in 1953 by the well-known flood disaster. This last disaster is reason to build a storm surge barrier in the form of the Delta Works.

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