Zierikzee

Zierikzee (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈziːrɪkseː]) 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. Zierikzee is connected to Oosterschelde through a canal.

Zierikzee
City
View over Zierikzee
Flag
Coat of arms
The town centre (dark green) and the statistical district (light green) of Zierikzee in the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland.
Coordinates: 51°38′59″N 3°54′59″E
CountryNetherlands
ProvinceZeeland
MunicipalitySchouwen-Duiveland
Population
 (5-1-2020)
 • Total11,460
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
4301
Dialing code0111

In 2001, the town of Zierikzee had 10,313 inhabitants. The built-up area of the town was 3.0 km², and contained 4,295 residences.[1] The statistical area "Zierikzee", which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 10,730.[2]

History

Zierikzee, then located on the island of Schouwen, received city rights in 1248. In 1304, a fleet commissioned by the French and Dutch defeated a Flemish fleet in the naval Battle of Zierikzee.

Modern history

On 30 April 1917, a lost British pilot of the Royal Naval Air Service mistakenly entered the airspace of the Netherlands, then neutral in World War I, and dropped eight bombs on Zierikzee - damaging several houses and killing a family of three. After initially denying the incident, the British government apologized and agreed to compensate the Dutch for damage and loss of life.[3]

In 1953, Zierikzee was damaged by the catastrophic North Sea flood of 1953. The English town of Hatfield sent help and a friendship has developed. The two towns have been twinned. In 1997 the municipality of Zierikzee merged into that of Schouwen-Duiveland.

In 2015, the last surviving example of the city's defensive cannons; cast in 1552, was donated to the city by the British coastguard. The coastguard had recovered it from a commercial diver, during a criminal investigation. The diver had found it off the Kent coast.[4]

  • The channel that connects Zierikzee to Oosterschelde is mainly used by tourist boats.
  • View of Zierikzee (1618), by Esaias van der Velde
  • 1649 map of Zierikzee (Zirizea) in Willem and Joan Blaeu's "Toonneel der Steden"
  • The tower (Sint-Lievensmonstertoren) of Zierikzee was planned to be twice as high as it was eventually built.

References
  1. Statistics Netherlands (CBS), Bevolkingskernen in Nederland 2001. (Statistics are for the continuous built-up area).
  2. Statistics Netherlands (CBS), Statline: Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2003-2005 Archived 1999-04-27 at the Wayback Machine. As of 1 January 2005.
  3. Lith, Hans van. Plotseling een vreselijke knal, pp. 91–95.
  4. "Historic cannon returned to its Dutch home". Maritime and Coastguard Agency. 9 December 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
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