Middelburg
Encyclopedia
Middelburg ˈmɪdəɫˌbʏrx is a municipality
and a city in the south-western Netherlands and the capital of the province of Zeeland
. It is situated in the Midden-Zeeland region. It has a population of about 48,000.
(then an island) to guard against Viking
raids. In 844 a monastery
was built on the site, which remained an active Catholic foundation until the Reformation. Foundations for Middelburg's "stately and picturesque" cathedral (one of only two pre-Reformation cathedrals in The Netherlands, along with St. Martin's in Utrecht) were first laid in the 10th century; additional construction continued through the Middle Ages.
Middelburg was granted city rights
in 1217. During the Middle Ages
, it became an important trading center in the commerce between England and the rising cities of Flanders
. The town continued to gain in power and prestige during the 13th and 14th centuries as a member of the powerful, multi-national Hanseatic League of Northern European merchant cities. In the Eighty Years' War, the northern provinces of the original Low Countries won their independence from their former Spanish Hapsburg rulers and formed The Netherlands, a Protestant state. Later, in the 17th century (the Dutch Golden Age
), Middelburg becane an important center for the Dutch East India Company
.
Middelburg played an important role in 17th century Slave Trade.
Much of the old city center was bomb
ed in the early phases of World War II, on May 17, 1940 by the German Luftwaffe
, to compel the surrender of the Dutch Army forces in Zeeland. After the War, as much of the old town center was rebuilt and restored along pre-War lines as possible. The city's archives, however, had been incinerated during the German bombardment.
Since the reconstruction, modern Middelburg has re-gained much of its historic and picturesque character. There are lavish 17th and 18th century merchant houses and storehouses standing along canal
s, of a similar style as found in cities like Amsterdam
. The old city moat
s are still there, as is one of the city gate
s, the Koepoort Gate. Part of the 18th century moat and defense works, however, were demolished in the 19th century, to make way for a commercial canal which crosses Walcheren
from Vlissingen to Veere
. The medieval abbey is still in use today, as a museum and as the seat of the provincial government.
The painter Pieter Gaal
, (1769–1819) was born and, after traveling over Europe to paint, settled and died here.
Another well-known citizen of Middelburg was the Admiral and Explorer, Jacob Roggeveen, who was born in the city in 1659, and died there in 1729. Roggeveen discovered Easter Island/Rapa Nui in the South Pacific on Easter Sunday, April 6, 1722. Further discoveries on the same journey included islands of the Tuamotu group, now part of French Polynesia.
decided to found the first university in the Netherlands in 1575, he initially considered locating it in Middelburg. Ultimately he chose Leiden, however, and Middelburg--as well as all of Zeeland--remained without a university until 2004 when the Roosevelt Academy
, affiliated with Utrecht University
, was established.
, Roosendaal, Rotterdam
, The Hague
, Leiden, Schiphol International Airport and Amsterdam
, among others.
lies to the south, as does Vlissingen.
The West part of Zuid was built in the mid-1970s, the East part was built later, mainly in the late 1980s and early 1990s. There are significant changes in architecture
between the West and East parts.
There are educational and recreational facilities available. There numerous Sports teams in positioned in the neighborhood, mainly soccer teams, but also a couple of basketball
and hockey
teams.
, Belgium Nagasaki, Japan Głogów, Poland Simeria
, Romania Teiuş
, Romania Folkestone
, United Kingdom
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
and a city in the south-western Netherlands and the capital of the province of Zeeland
Zeeland
Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...
. It is situated in the Midden-Zeeland region. It has a population of about 48,000.
History of Middelburg
The city of Middelburg dates back possibly to the late 8th century or early 9th century. The first mention of Middelburg was as one of three fortified towns (i.e., borgs) erected on WalcherenWalcheren
thumb|right|250px|Campveer Tower in Veere, built in 1500Walcheren is a former island in the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands at the mouth of the Scheldt estuary. It lies between the Oosterschelde in the north and the Westerschelde in the south and is roughly the shape of a rhombus...
(then an island) to guard against Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
raids. In 844 a monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
was built on the site, which remained an active Catholic foundation until the Reformation. Foundations for Middelburg's "stately and picturesque" cathedral (one of only two pre-Reformation cathedrals in The Netherlands, along with St. Martin's in Utrecht) were first laid in the 10th century; additional construction continued through the Middle Ages.
Middelburg was granted city rights
City rights in the Netherlands
City rights are a medieval phenomenon in the history of the Low Countries. A liegelord, usually a count, duke or similar member of high nobility, granted a settlement he owned certain town privileges that settlements without city rights did not have....
in 1217. During the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, it became an important trading center in the commerce between England and the rising cities of Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
. The town continued to gain in power and prestige during the 13th and 14th centuries as a member of the powerful, multi-national Hanseatic League of Northern European merchant cities. In the Eighty Years' War, the northern provinces of the original Low Countries won their independence from their former Spanish Hapsburg rulers and formed The Netherlands, a Protestant state. Later, in the 17th century (the Dutch Golden Age
Dutch Golden Age
The Golden Age was a period in Dutch history, roughly spanning the 17th century, in which Dutch trade, science, military and art were among the most acclaimed in the world. The first half is characterised by the Eighty Years' War till 1648...
), Middelburg becane an important center for the Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
.
Middelburg played an important role in 17th century Slave Trade.
Much of the old city center was bomb
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
ed in the early phases of World War II, on May 17, 1940 by the German Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
, to compel the surrender of the Dutch Army forces in Zeeland. After the War, as much of the old town center was rebuilt and restored along pre-War lines as possible. The city's archives, however, had been incinerated during the German bombardment.
Since the reconstruction, modern Middelburg has re-gained much of its historic and picturesque character. There are lavish 17th and 18th century merchant houses and storehouses standing along canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
s, of a similar style as found in cities like Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. The old city moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
s are still there, as is one of the city gate
City gate
A city gate is a gate which is, or was, set within a city wall. Other terms include port.-Uses:City gates were traditionally built to provide a point of controlled access to and departure from a walled city for people, vehicles, goods and animals...
s, the Koepoort Gate. Part of the 18th century moat and defense works, however, were demolished in the 19th century, to make way for a commercial canal which crosses Walcheren
Walcheren
thumb|right|250px|Campveer Tower in Veere, built in 1500Walcheren is a former island in the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands at the mouth of the Scheldt estuary. It lies between the Oosterschelde in the north and the Westerschelde in the south and is roughly the shape of a rhombus...
from Vlissingen to Veere
Veere
Veere is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands, on Walcheren island in the province of Zeeland.-Population centres :Aagtekerke , Biggekerke , Domburg , Gapinge , Grijpskerke , Koudekerke , Meliskerke , Oostkapelle , Serooskerke , Veere , Vrouwenpolder , Westkapelle...
. The medieval abbey is still in use today, as a museum and as the seat of the provincial government.
The painter Pieter Gaal
Pieter Gaal
Pieter Gaal was a Dutch painter.Gaal came from a family of painters from the Zeeland area of the Netherlands, his earliest ancestor was a knight called Florens Ghale van Hoesbroec...
, (1769–1819) was born and, after traveling over Europe to paint, settled and died here.
Another well-known citizen of Middelburg was the Admiral and Explorer, Jacob Roggeveen, who was born in the city in 1659, and died there in 1729. Roggeveen discovered Easter Island/Rapa Nui in the South Pacific on Easter Sunday, April 6, 1722. Further discoveries on the same journey included islands of the Tuamotu group, now part of French Polynesia.
Education
When William of OrangeWilliam the Silent
William I, Prince of Orange , also widely known as William the Silent , or simply William of Orange , was the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish that set off the Eighty Years' War and resulted in the formal independence of the United Provinces in 1648. He was born in the House of...
decided to found the first university in the Netherlands in 1575, he initially considered locating it in Middelburg. Ultimately he chose Leiden, however, and Middelburg--as well as all of Zeeland--remained without a university until 2004 when the Roosevelt Academy
Roosevelt Academy
Roosevelt Academy is a small liberal arts college located in Middelburg in the Netherlands. It offers a residential setting and is an international honors college of Utrecht University.-History:...
, affiliated with Utrecht University
Utrecht University
Utrecht University is a university in Utrecht, Netherlands. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe. Established March 26, 1636, it had an enrollment of 29,082 students in 2008, and employed 8,614 faculty and staff, 570 of which are full professors....
, was established.
Cultural institutions
- Zeeuws Museum
- SBKM De Vleeshal
- Zeeuws Archief
- Zeeuwse Bibliotheek
- Centrum Beeldende Kunst
Theaters and concerthalls
- Schouwburg
- Concertzaal Zeeland
- Spiegeltheater
- Minitheater
- Filmtheater Schuttershof
Transportation
Middelburg has a railway station with intercity train connections to Vlissingen, GoesGoes
Goes is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands in Zuid-Beveland, in the province Zeeland. The city of Goes has approximately 27,000 residents.-History of Goes:...
, Roosendaal, Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, Leiden, Schiphol International Airport and Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, among others.
Sports
Middelburg has a fieldhockey club, MMHC, and four football (soccer) clubs: MZVC, Zeelandia Middelburg, Jong Ambon and FC Dauwendaele. Jong Ambon is translated Young Ambon, and consists of mostly Ambonese players. FC Dauwendaele is the main club in Dauwendaele.Population centres
- ArnemuidenArnemuidenArnemuiden is a small city of around 5000 people in the municipality of Middelburg in the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands. It is located on the former island of Walcheren, about 3 km east of the city of Middelburg.It received city rights in 1574....
- KleverskerkeKleverskerkeKleverskerke is a small village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is located in the municipality of Middelburg, about 4 kilometres northeast of the city centre.Kleverskerke was a separate municipality until 1857, when it was merged with Arnemuiden....
- Middelburg
- Nieuw- en Sint JooslandNieuw- en Sint JooslandNieuw- en Sint Joosland is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is located in the municipality of Middelburg, about 3 km southwest of that city....
- Sint LaurensSint LaurensSint Laurens is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is located in the municipality of Middelburg, about 3 km north of the city.Sint Laurens was a separate municipality until 1966, when it was merged with Middelburg....
Zuid
Zuid ("South") is a neighbourhood in Middelburg. It lies adjacent to Dauwendaele. The neighbourhood consists mostly of residential building projects. The town of Oost-SouburgOost-Souburg
Oost-Souburg is a town in the municipality of Flushing, Netherlands .Oost-Souburg was a separate municipality until 1836, when it merged with West-Souburg to create the new municipality of Oost- en West-Souburg.---...
lies to the south, as does Vlissingen.
The West part of Zuid was built in the mid-1970s, the East part was built later, mainly in the late 1980s and early 1990s. There are significant changes in architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
between the West and East parts.
There are educational and recreational facilities available. There numerous Sports teams in positioned in the neighborhood, mainly soccer teams, but also a couple of basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
teams.
Twin cities
VilvoordeVilvoorde
Vilvoorde is a Belgian municipality in the Flemish province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the city of Vilvoorde proper with its two outlying quarters of Koningslo and Houtem and the small town of Peutie...
, Belgium Nagasaki, Japan Głogów, Poland Simeria
Simeria
Simeria is a town in Hunedoara County with a population of just under 14,000, and an important railway junction with hump yard. Six villages are administered by the town: Bârcea Mare, Cărpiniş, Simeria Veche, Sântandrei, Şăuleşti and Uroi....
, Romania Teiuş
Teius
Teius is a genus of lizards that belong to the family Teiidae.-Classification:Genus Teius*Teius oculatus*Teius suquiensis*Teius teyou...
, Romania Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
, United Kingdom
External links
- Official city website (in Dutch with a limited English section)
- Tourism Middelburg
- municipal data (in Dutch)
- Website Roosevelt Academy (in English)
- Map
- Flickr Group