Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: Walcheren

Statue of Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter was unveiled by King William II on 25 August 1841. The cast iron statue was designed by sculptor Louis Royer. He based the statue on a painting by Ferdinand Bol. In 1894 the statue was give its current location on the ‘Keizersbolwerk’, where it is overlooking the mouth of the river Scheldt. Since 1905 the statue is flanked by two cannons recovered from the Sea of Messina. After a massive restoration the statue was unveiled again on 5 July 2011. Michiel de Ruyter - the Netherland’s best known admiral - was born in Vlissingen (Flushing) on 24 March 1607. He went to sea as a young boy and would rise from cabin boy lieutenant admiral general, after he had been a mate on a whaler and worked for the Lampsins mercantile house in Vlissingen. During the second half of the 17th century the Dutch Republic waged wars to protect the trade. These wars were mainly fought at sea. In the period 1666 - 1676 De Ruyter showed his skills as a commander-in-chief. He died in harness 29 April 1676 in a battle with the French in the Sea of Messina. His remains were interred in the ‘Nieuwe Kerk’ in Amsterdam. (For more info about De Ruyter: nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michiel_de_Ruyter)

Windmill ‘De Koe’ (The Cow) is a grain mill in Veere, where it is located on one of the earth walls of the fortress just outside the city. It is a round brick mill, dating back to the year 1909. ‘De Koe’ is built on the location of an older mill from 1736, which was burnt down. Documents mention a mill named ‘De Coe’ already in 1599, so the current mill is most probably the third with this name. During that time there was also a mill named ‘De Stier’(The Bull). The mill has a reefing stage (‘stelling’) and the cap is covered with zinc. The upper part is white painted, which is a tradition in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It has a flight of 23.50 meters. The mill is no longer used as the ground floor houses nowadays a holiday home.

Middelburg, capital of the province of Zeeland, was one of the three fortified towns on the former island Walcheren. It is dating back to the 9th century and still steeped in culture and historic allure. Middelburg took advantage of its proximity to the sea and became - after Amsterdam - the second most important trading center in the Dutch Republic during the Golden Age. The 'Kuiperspoort' - hidden gem in the center of the city - is named after the 'Kuipersgilde' (Coopers' Guild), who resided there in the 17th century. This alley is one of the most charming places in Middelburg. The alleyway shows traditional brick warehouses, step-gabled roofs and beautiful restored buildings dating to the 16th century. Its close proximity to the harbour was convenient during the Golden Age, when the barrels that were made there had to be rolled toward the ships. The narrow path in the middle of the cobblestoned street still can be seen.