Veere
Encyclopedia
Veere is a municipality
and a city
in the southwestern Netherlands
, on Walcheren
island in the province of Zeeland
.
(895), Domburg
(1,481), Gapinge
(522), Grijpskerke
(1,377), Koudekerke
(3,620), Meliskerke
(1,477), Oostkapelle
(2,451), Serooskerke
(1,833), Veere (1,520), Vrouwenpolder
(1,125), Westkapelle
(2,672), Zoutelande
(1,593), Kamperland
(1,342).
on the island of Walcheren
in Zeeland
. The name means "ferry" after Wolfert Van Borsselen established one here in 1281. Veere received city rights
in 1355.
The "Admiraliteit van Veere" (Admiralty of Veere) was set up as a result of the Ordinance on the Admiralty of 8 January 1488 in an attempt to create a central naval administration in the Burgundian Netherlands
. To this was subordinated the Vice-Admiralty of Flanders
in Dunkirk. In 1560 under admiral Philip de Montmorency, Count of Hoorn
this admiralty was relocated near Ghent
and in 1561 the Habsburg
naval forces were also moved to Veere.
Veere was the staple port for Scotland
between 1541 and 1799. Flemish architects Antonis Keldermans
and Evert Spoorwater designed the Grote Kerk, the fortifications, the Cisterne and the town hall. During this period of prosperity, the cultural centre was located at Sandenburgh castle, the residence of the noble Van Borsele and Van Bourgondië families. Court painter Jan Gossaert van Mabuse
worked here. The poet Adrianus Valerius
lived and worked in the city from 1591. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Veere was a prosperous trading city. There were about 750 houses inside the city walls then, compared to about 300 now. As a result of the damming of the Veerse Gat inlet in 1961, the fishing fleet of Veere moved to a new home port at Colijnsplaat on Noord-Beveland. Today, the main business of the town is tourism.
s. The Storm Surge Barrier
on the Oosterschelde
is the most popular visitor attraction in Zeeland. The Scoutcentrum Zeeland on the coast of the Veerse Meer attracts Scout
visitors from around the world
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
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in the southwestern Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, on 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...
island in 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...
.
Population centres
Aagtekerke (population as of 2003: 1,479), BiggekerkeBiggekerke
Biggekerke is a town in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Veere, and lies about 6 km northwest of Vlissingen.Until 1966, Biggekerke was a separate municipality.In 2001, the town of Biggekerke had 602 inhabitants...
(895), Domburg
Domburg
Domburg is a seaside resort on the North Sea, on the northwest coast of Walcheren in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Veere, and lies about 11 km northwest of the city of Middelburg, the provincial capital.-Demographics:...
(1,481), Gapinge
Gapinge
Gapinge is a town in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Veere, and lies about 6 km north of Middelburg.Gapinge was a separate municipality until 1857.In 2001, the town of Gapinge had 204 inhabitants...
(522), Grijpskerke
Grijpskerke
Grijpskerke is a town in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Veere, and lies about 6 km northwest of Middelburg.Grijpskerke was a separate municipality until 1966. Before 1816, it was called "Grijpskerke en Poppendamme"....
(1,377), Koudekerke
Koudekerke
Koudekerke is a town in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Veere, and lies about 3 km northwest of Vlissingen.In 2001, the town of Koudekerke had 2687 inhabitants...
(3,620), Meliskerke
Meliskerke
Meliskerke is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Veere, and lies about 8 km west of Middelburg.Meliskerke was a separate municipality until 1966, when it was merged into the new municipality of Mariekerke....
(1,477), Oostkapelle
Oostkapelle
Oostkapelle is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Veere, and lies about 9 km north of Middelburg.Oostkapelle was a separate municipality until 1966, when it was merged with Domburg....
(2,451), Serooskerke
Serooskerke
Serooskerke is the name of two villages in Zeeland, Netherlands:* Serooskerke, Schouwen-Duiveland* Serooskerke, Walcheren...
(1,833), Veere (1,520), Vrouwenpolder
Vrouwenpolder
Vrouwenpolder is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Veere, and lies about 9 km north of Middelburg.Vrouwenpolder was a separate municipality until 1966, when it was merged with Veere....
(1,125), Westkapelle
Westkapelle (Netherlands)
Westkapelle is a small city in the municipality of Veere on the island Walcheren, in the province Zeeland of the Netherlands. On 1 January 2005, it had a population of 2,671...
(2,672), Zoutelande
Zoutelande
Zoutelande is a village in the southwest Netherlands. It is located in the municipality of Veere, Zeeland, between Dishoek and Westkapelle on the former island Walcheren. On 1 January 2005 it had 1,556 inhabitants. Originally, Zoutelande was mainly an agricultural village...
(1,593), Kamperland
Kamperland
Kamperland is a town in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Noord-Beveland, and lies about 11 km northeast of Middelburg.In 2001, the town of Kamperland had 1342 inhabitants...
(1,342).
The city of Veere
The small city of Veere (population : 1,520) is located on the Veerse MeerVeerse Meer
The Veerse Meer is a lagoon in the province of Zeeland, the Netherlands. It was separated from the North Sea in 1961 by the Delta Works dam system. It is 22 km long, and 1,500 m wide in places...
on the island of 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...
in 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...
. The name means "ferry" after Wolfert Van Borsselen established one here in 1281. Veere received 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 1355.
Burgundian Netherlands
In the history of the Low Countries, the Burgundian Netherlands refers to a number of Imperial and French fiefs ruled in personal union by the House of Valois-Burgundy and their Habsburg heirs in the period from 1384 to 1482...
. To this was subordinated the Vice-Admiralty 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...
in Dunkirk. In 1560 under admiral Philip de Montmorency, Count of Hoorn
Philip de Montmorency, Count of Hoorn
Philip de Montmorency was also known as Count of Horn or Hoorne or Hoorn.-Biography:De Montmorency was born, between 1518 and 1526, possibly at the Ooidonk Castle, as the son of Jozef van Montmorency, Count of Nevele and Anna van Egmont...
this admiralty was relocated near Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
and in 1561 the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
naval forces were also moved to Veere.
Veere was the staple port for Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
between 1541 and 1799. Flemish architects Antonis Keldermans
Keldermans family
Keldermans is a family of Flemish artists, originating from the city of Mechelen in the Duchy of Brabant. The members of the family were mostly architects working in the Brabantine Gothic style...
and Evert Spoorwater designed the Grote Kerk, the fortifications, the Cisterne and the town hall. During this period of prosperity, the cultural centre was located at Sandenburgh castle, the residence of the noble Van Borsele and Van Bourgondië families. Court painter Jan Gossaert van Mabuse
Jan Mabuse
Jan Mabuse was the name adopted by the Flemish painter Jan Gossaert; or Jennyn van Hennegouwe , as he called himself when he matriculated in the guild of St Luke, at Antwerp, in 1503.-Biography:Little is known of his early life...
worked here. The poet Adrianus Valerius
Adrianus Valerius
Adrianus Valerius, also known as Adriaen Valerius, was a Dutch poet and composer, known mostly for his poems dealing with peasant and burgher life and those dealing with the Dutch War of Independence, assembled in his great work Nederlandtsche gedenck-clanck.-Life:Valerius was born about 1575 in...
lived and worked in the city from 1591. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Veere was a prosperous trading city. There were about 750 houses inside the city walls then, compared to about 300 now. As a result of the damming of the Veerse Gat inlet in 1961, the fishing fleet of Veere moved to a new home port at Colijnsplaat on Noord-Beveland. Today, the main business of the town is tourism.
The Borough of Veere
The area of the borough is 13,496 hectares, with a coastline of 34 kilometres and a population of about 22,000. The area is visited by 4 million tourists annually. The main attractions are the beaches and marinaMarina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
s. The Storm Surge Barrier
Oosterscheldekering
The Oosterscheldekering , between the islands Schouwen-Duiveland and Noord-Beveland, is the largest of the 13 ambitious Delta works series of dams, designed to protect the Netherlands from flooding...
on the Oosterschelde
Oosterschelde
The Oosterschelde is an estuary in Zeeland, Netherlands, between Schouwen-Duiveland and Tholen on the north and Noord-Beveland and Zuid-Beveland on the south.During the Roman Era it was the major mouth of the Scheldt River. Before the St...
is the most popular visitor attraction in Zeeland. The Scoutcentrum Zeeland on the coast of the Veerse Meer attracts Scout
World Organization of the Scout Movement
The World Organization of the Scout Movement is the Non-governmental international organization which governs most national Scout Organizations, with 31 million members. WOSM was established in 1920, and has its headquarters at Geneva, Switzerland...
visitors from around the world