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

In the Middle Ages Sluis - a walled city - had a dozen mills. The only remaining windmill is‘De Brak’, named after a French breed 'Braque', a hunting dog always running with his nose in the wind. The mill was built in 1739 and was the first in the region made of stone. The upper part of the smock mill can be put into the direction of the wind, which is called ‘kruien’ by the miller. From the stage one has a magnificent view over the city, the ramparts and further afield. During World War II ‘De Brak’ was severely damaged; in 1950 began the reconstruction. The mill is now working as ever and is still used for grinding grain, which can be purchased in the mill store. ‘De Brak’ - located in the heart of Sluis - can be visited. More info (Dutch): www.molendatabase.nl/nederland/molen.php?nummer=917

The ‘Parmabrug’ is a wooden drawbridge for pedestrians and cyclists across the canal between Sluis and Bruges in Belgium. The bridge is located just outside Sluis, 150 metres from the Belgian border. The canal is better known as ‘Damse Vaart’ or ‘Napoleonskanaal’. The canal was dug by Spanish war prisoners between 1812 and 1814 t on the orders of Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon wanted to create a connection between Bruges and the Western Scheldt and the North Sea along Sluis to Breskens. It should be used for military transports. After the defeat of Napoleon in 1815 the canal was never finished and stopped nearby the bridge; in 1854 it was extended to the centre of Sluis and two years later the canal opened to traffic. Nowadays the canal is used by pleasure boats.