History

The fishermen’s hamlet that came into existence at the estuary of the river Schelde 620 A.D. has grown into a tourist attraction and into the third most important port of the Netherlands 1400 years later. Because of its favourable geographical situation the Counts of Holland and Zeeland had the first harbours dug. Nowadays each year 50,000 ships from all corners of the world pass through the river Schelde. Tourist are very pleased with this phenomenon, because nowhere in the world ships pass this closely to the shore.

In the centuries of its growth Vlissingen was especially well known as the centre of (herring) fishery, commerce, privateering and slave trade. The history of Vlissingen is characterized by oppression, bombardments and floods. All this as a consequence of Vlissingen’s strategic position at the river Schelde.

He who ruled Vlissingen owned the most important passageway to the docks of Antwerp. For this reason the eyes of several foreign powers fell on Vlissingen. British, French, Germans and Spaniards, they were all within the cities boundaries long before the tourists were there.

The heyday of the Golden Age, in which ships from Vlissingen sailed all seas and attributed to the world power of 'De Zeven Provincien' (The Seven Provinces) was followed by a recession in the eighteenth century. Especially the effects of the Napoleonic wars were disastrous. After 1870 a period of revival occurred as a result of the building of new docks, the canal through Walcheren, the railway and the establishment of the shipyard called The Schelde. The Second World War interrupted this growth. Again bombardments, shelling and inundation heavily damaged the city.

With enormous energy the post-war reconstruction of the city was started. In the sixties the seaport and industrial area of Vlissingen-Oost were developed. Now this area is the economic driving force of central Zeeland offering many thousands of jobs.