History of Vlissingen: port town, naval heroes, shipyard and seaside resort

Vlissingen lies where the Western Scheldt meets the sea and was for centuries a port town of seafarers, shipbuilders and later bathers.

In short: old Flessinghe received town rights in 1315 and in 1572 was one of the first towns to free itself from the Spanish.
Naval heroes and forts: Michiel de Ruyter was born here, and the Casemates and Fort Rammekens recall the defence of the Scheldt estuary.
Shipyard and resort: for over a century the De Schelde shipyard shaped the townscape, while an elegant seaside resort grew up along the promenade.
Discover it yourself: read about the war and reconstruction, visit the MuZEEum and follow the historic cycle route, perfect for cycling on Walcheren.

Flessinghe: name and town rights

There are several stories about the origin of the name Vlissingen, and in all of them a bottle (fles) plays the lead; that bottle still features in the town's coat of arms.

Willibrord's bottle: according to legend Willibrord came to Vlissingen in the 7th century with a bottle whose contents miraculously never ran out; he named the place Flessinghe.
The ferry at the bottle (967): another source says a bottle hung from an old ferry house, which the monk Jacob van Dreischor called the ferry at the bottle in 967.
Town rights (1315): in 1315 Vlissingen received town rights.
Cornelia Quack's almshouse (1643): in 1643 the almshouse now called Zeemanserve was built in the town centre, originally Cornelia Quack's Hofje, after the widow from The Hague who funded it.

Revolt, the English and naval heroes

Thanks to its location at the mouth of the Scheldt, Vlissingen played a key role in wars and at sea.

Fort Rammekens (1547): east of the town Fort Rammekens was built in 1547, on the site of the medieval castle of Zeeburg.
Self liberated (1572): on 6 April 1572 Vlissingen became the second town, after Den Briel, to free itself from the Spanish, and unlike Den Briel its own residents did it.
English pledge (1585): in 1585 Vlissingen and Fort Rammekens passed to Queen Elizabeth as a pledge for English help against Spain; in 1616 the town returned to the Dutch Republic.
Michiel de Ruyter (1607): on 24 March 1607 Michiel de Ruyter, the most famous Dutch naval hero, was born in Vlissingen; his statue looks out over the Western Scheldt from the promenade.
The Gevangentoren: the Gevangentoren on the promenade is a remnant of the 16th century West Gate.
The French period: under Napoleon Vlissingen was part of France for a time; the Casemates in the Keizersbolwerk, part of the fortifications of 1548, date from 1811.

Shipbuilding and De Schelde

Shipbuilding shaped the townscape of Vlissingen for centuries.

The Admiralty: one of the shipyards of the Admiralty of Zeeland was in Vlissingen.
Naval yard (1814): in 1814 the Royal Navy set up a yard here for building and repairing warships, which closed in 1868.
De Schelde (1875): on 8 October 1875 the Koninklijke Maatschappij De Schelde was founded on the yard site, after engineer Bruno Tideman persuaded shipbuilder Arie Smit to take part.
The Scheldekwartier: the yard grew at the expense of part of the old town; when De Schelde moved to Vlissingen-Oost after more than a century, the new Scheldekwartier district arose here.
The story of the yard: Museum Scheldewerf tells 125 years of shipbuilding history, and the Museum Ship Mercuur in the Dokhaven shows life on board in the navy.

The seaside resort on the promenade

At the end of the 19th century entrepreneurs and the town council worked hard to make Vlissingen a seaside resort as well.

Badhuis Vlissingen (1872): in 1872 a modest bathing pavilion opened at the foot of the dunes, where the Leeuwentrap would later be built.
Boat, tram and train: the steamboat service to England, the tram to Middelburg and the railway brought the first English guests and day trippers.
Grand Hotel Britannia (1886): in 1886 the Grand Hotel des Bains rose on the dunes; in 1923 it passed to the Stoomvaart Maatschappij Zeeland and after renovation was renamed Grand Hotel Britannia.
The Leeuwentrap (1907): from 1906 there was a bandstand and in 1907 the Leeuwentrap (Lion Steps) was built; the town rampart was extended into a promenade of almost two kilometres.
Bathing machines and beach chairs: on the beach by the Boulevard Evertsen horses pulled bathing machines to the water's edge, and wicker beach chairs stood in long rows; by 1919 Vlissingen was among the top five resorts in the Netherlands.

Pier, war and reconstruction

In the 1930s the resort got a new boost, but the Second World War inflicted deep wounds.

Three pillars: Mayor C.A. van Woelderen wanted to base the economy on tourism, the port and industry; an airfield, larger harbours, a bathing beach and a pier with a pavilion followed.
Demolished: during the war the German occupiers demolished the pier to hinder an Allied landing; Grand Hotel Britannia became a German headquarters and was lost during the liberation.
Under water (1944): in October 1944 Vlissingen was flooded when the Allies bombed the dikes of Walcheren to open the way to the Scheldt and the port of Antwerp.
Uncle Beach: on the Groene Boulevard the landing monument at Uncle Beach recalls the liberation of the town.
A modern town: after reconstruction tourism grew strongly, and in the 1990s the town centre and promenades were completely renewed.

Experience history yourself in Vlissingen

By bike you ride along the promenade and through the old town to the shipyard and the oldest fort on the Western Scheldt.

Gevangentoren: start at the Gevangentoren on the promenade, with the statue of Michiel de Ruyter nearby.
Casemates: explore the Casemates in the Keizersbolwerk.
MuZEEum: discover maritime history at the MuZEEum.
Oranjemolen: see the Oranjemolen on the Western Scheldt.
Sint-Jacobskerk: walk past the Great or St James Church in the old town.
Museum Scheldewerf: experience 125 years of shipbuilding at Museum Scheldewerf.
Fort Rammekens: finish at Fort Rammekens near Ritthem.

Cycle route past these places

Combine the places above in a bike ride of around 9 kilometres, from the promenade through the old town to Fort Rammekens.

Gevangentoren
Casemates
MuZEEum
Oranjemolen
Sint-Jacobskerk
Museum Scheldewerf
Fort Rammekens