The Netherlands, Travelogue

Gems of Zeeland

As can be seen from my blogs, I have a great predilection for the history of various places and environments. Sometimes there are beautiful gems among them.

One such gem is the little town of Brouwershaven. A beautiful small town located on the island of Schouwen-Duiveland in the province of Zeeland. Locals call the town affectionately and simply Brouw.

The origin of Brouwershaven dates back to about 1285. It was initially the new harbor for the nearby village of Brijdorpe. The name Brouwershaven is first mentioned in 1318. In 1403 Brouw received his city rights. However, because the town did not get a seat in the Committed Councils, Brouwershaven remained a so called small town.

 
Because Brouwershaven had its own harbour, the residents' income did not only consist of fishing for fish and shellfish, but the city soon became a trading city. Especially the trade in wine, beer, wood, stone, wool, flax, turnips and beets.
 

But Brouwershaven had also experienced more difficult times. For example, the city was captured in 1575 and then set on fire by the Spanish troops. As a result, Brouwershaven was provided with earthen ramparts and a so-called wet canal from 1590 onwards. Furthermore, Brouw was hit by various storm surges. The storm surge of 1682 destroyed part of the fortifications. To date, only the eastern and northern ramparts and moats have been preserved. During the storm surge of 1953, Brouw also suffered major damage. As a result, many people became homeless. Thus you can find Scandinavian wooden houses in Brouw and there is the Bostonplein with small workers' houses. All of these homes were donations from Scandinavia and Boston.

 
Furthermore, Brouwershaven experienced a lot of changes between booming and economically difficult periods. This was simply because the road from the harbor to the Grevelingen was very long and narrow. The ships became larger and the combination of the narrow channel and a sandbar (Dwars in de Weg) ensured that the larger merchant ships did not enter the harbor.
 
In the nineteenth century, however, the port experienced a revival. The Brielse Maas and the Goereese Gat silted up. As a result, Rotterdam threatened to become inaccessible for the larger seagoing vessels. They then decided to sail back to Brouwershaven after which their cargo was transferred to smaller ships. In this way, the national government built a large office for the pilotage industry and the tax authorities. A large workshop for barrels that marked out the waterway was also built. These have been preserved as monuments. The barrel warehouse is used for, among other things, local social services (such as meetings with residents). The large former office of the pilotage and tax authorities has been converted into a private house.
After the Nieuwe Waterweg had been put into use in 1872, its function as a transhipment port for Rotterdam disappeared. This put Brouw again in a difficult period. The city only recovered after the flood of 1953. Thanks to better connections through the Delta Works, the port of Brouwershaven had the opportunity to develop into a marina and tourism developed at a rapid pace.
 

The old center of this town has been completely protected since 1973. As a result, a lot of beautiful monuments have been preserved. The original town hall from 1599 has undergone a major restoration in 2021 and the market and both the old harbor and the marina have recently been renovated.

But Brouwershaven is not only known as a smal city, old trading city and for its beautiful monumental center. Brouwershaven is also the birthplace of a number of special Dutch people. Such as Jacob Cats (1577-1660). A didactic poet, lawyer and politician. He played a major role in all three positions in the Netherlands. For example, the official residence of our Prime Minister is literally named after him. The Cats House.

Another well-known Dutchman who was born in Brouwershaven is Andries Schraver (1754-1826). A hydraulic engineer. He had not followed any training for this, but had trained himself in hydraulic engineering. He approached hydraulic engineering with a strong mathematical foundation.

Brouwershaven is also worth visiting by motorcycle. You can drive quietly along the old and new harbor. Your inner person can be kept perfectly satisfied at the various catering establishments on the Market. From squabbling to pizza while your motorcycle can remain perfectly in sight.
 

Can therefore recommend everyone to visit this little gem.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *