Schouwen-Duiveland

Schouwen-Duiveland (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌsxʌuʋə(n)ˈdœyvəlɑnt] (listen)) is a municipality and an island in the southwestern Netherlands province of Zeeland. The municipality has 33 737 inhabitants (January 1, 2016) and covers an area of 488.94 square kilometres (188.78 square miles) (of which 257.87 square kilometres (99.56 square miles) is water).

Schouwen-Duiveland
Municipality
Zierikzee city centre
Flag
Coat of arms
Location in Zeeland
Coordinates: 51°39′N 3°55′E
CountryNetherlands
ProvinceZeeland
Established1 January 1997[1]
Government
 • BodyMunicipal council
 • MayorGerard Rabelink
Area
 • Total488.21 km2 (188.50 sq mi)
 • Land230.07 km2 (88.83 sq mi)
 • Water258.14 km2 (99.67 sq mi)
Elevation0 m (0 ft)
Population
 (January 2019)[5]
 • Total33,779
 • Density147/km2 (380/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postcode
4300–4329
Area code0111
Websiteschouwen-duiveland.nl

The northside of the island has two fixed connections to Goeree-Overflakkee, the Brouwersdam and the Grevelingen. The southside has two fixed connections to cross the Oosterschelde to North Beveland, the Stormvloed Kering or Oosterscheldedam, part of the Delta Works 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 chose 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, part of the Delta Works, from Schouwen-Duiveland to Goedereede, the west part of the island of Goeree-Overflakkee in South Holland.

History

The island of Schouwen-Duiveland was originally 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 April 30, 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 After the floods of 1953, the service has not been restored and has been replaced by a bus line.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, Schouwen-Duiveland was the only 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.[6]

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 January 1, 2014).

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, Beldert , Brijdorpe , Burghsluis, Capelle , 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 poldered together.

Governance
Lift bridge in Zierikzee

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 Zierikzee . These six municipalities were created on January 1, 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:

Partij1997¹2002200620102014
Leefbaar Schouwen-Duiveland-4345
VVD74454
CDA44433
SGP32233
SP----2
PvdA43522
ChristenUnie22222
D662--11
Independent Schouwen-Duiveland-322 ²1
GroenLinks1111-
Total2323232323

November 13, 1996 ¹ reclassification elections were held. The first council was launched on January 1, 1997.

Mayor & Aldermen
  • Mayor Gerard Rabelink (None)
  • Councillor Jacqueline Burg ( Liveable Schouwen-Duiveland )
  • Alderman Ad Verseput ( VVD )
  • Alderman Cees van den Bos ( SGP )
  • Secretary Marieke van den Heuvel

Culture
Renesse World War II and Occupation Victims Memorial

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 or the 'police actions' in the Dutch East Indies.[6]

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.[7][8][9]

Notable residents
Hugo de Jonge, 2019

Public thinking & Public Service
Digna Sinke, 1984

The Arts
  • Jacob Cats (1577 in Brouwershaven – 1660) a Dutch poet, humorist, jurist and politician, famous for his emblem books [12]
  • 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 [13]
  • Digna Sinke (born 1949 in Zonnemaire) a Dutch film director, producer and screenwriter [14]
  • Jan van den Bosch (born 1950) TV presenter on RTL5 [15]
  • Ester Naomi Perquin (born 1980) a Dutch poet, brought up in Zierikzee

Science & Business
Levinus Lemnius, 1568

Sport
  • Adrie Koster (born 1954 in Zierikzee) a Dutch football manager
  • Nelli Cooman (born 1964) 60 metres two-time World indoor champion, six-time European indoor champion and former world record holder. Lives in Nieuwerkerk
  • Straatje in de vissersplaats Buinisse
  • Zonnemaire
  • Aan de Korte Ring in Brunisse
  • Vergezicht op de stad, gezien vanaf de Havendijk - Zierikzee

References
  1. "Gemeentelijke indeling op 1 januari 1997" [Municipal divisions on 1 January 1997]. cbs.nl (in Dutch). CBS. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  2. "Portefeuilleverdeling" [Tasks] (in Dutch). Gemeente Schouwen-Duiveland. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  3. "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten" [Key figures for neighbourhoods]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 2 July 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  4. "Postcodetool for 4301SH". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  5. "Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand" [Population growth; regions per month]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 1 January 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  6. "Renesse War memorial (website in Dutch)". Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  7. "Plompe Tower". Archived from the original on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  8. Bert. A. Oosterhout (1998). Sprookjes uit de wereldliteratuur; Nederlandse & Vlaamse sprookjes. ISBN 90-389-0813-X.
  9. Anton Pieck, Alet Schouwen (1989). Volksverhalen der Lage Landen. ISBN 90-269-4057-2.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  10. Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 15 (1913), Cornelius van Zierikzee retrieved 06 July 2019
  11. Dutch Wiki, George van Heukelom
  12. 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, Volume 5, Cats, Jacob retrieved 06 July 2019
  13. 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, Volume 19, Ochtman, Leonard retrieved 06 July 2019
  14. IMDb Database retrieved 06 July 2019
  15. Dutch Wiki, Jan van den Bosch
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