A walk through Middelburg,
capital city of Zeeland.

21 July 2011


 

The owner of the Hotel Auberge Provencal loves his city and passed on lots of information about the history of the city and the region. He even prepared a step by step written guide for an hour and a quarter stroll through the city full of interesting information:

We abbreviated and translated a version into English which we added here to comment the pictures we took while taking the city tour.

 
Leaving the Hotel, we walked along the Koepoortstraat where numerous houses were mentioned due to their age and special architectural properties

Next, we turned into the Spanjaardstraat which was built in 1381
Leaving the Spanjaardstraat, we continued into Balans, a large market place with gardens and a fountain which were built in 1894 in honor of the Dutch queen and Princess.
At the end of Balans, we continued through the Balanstor into the courtyard of a Monastry. The Provincial administration has been housed here since 1574 along with numerous museums and the three churches, Koorkerk, Wandelkerk and Nieuwe Kerk.
Exiting through the archway we passed the Münzentor and saw the Gist- or Blautor to our left. The Blautor was built between the years of 1509-1512.
Moving on we reached the Groenmarkt where we had a good view of the three churches and the monastry tower (91 meters high)
To the right, we saw the Befreiungsdenkmal (Freedom Statue) in the garden of the State rooms.
Turning into the Wagenaarstraat we some numerous examples of Patrizier styled architecture and decoration.
Entering the Achter het Hofplein, we viewed the oldest remaining Gothic wooden facade in Middelburg.
Turning into the Langen Nordstraat, we found ourselves in the area where the well-to-do merchants of Middelburg had lived in early days. Today there are quite a few well-known poets and authors living there.
Moving on we arrived at the Marktplatz and the impressive Staathuis (Town Hall). The statues built into the walls depict the old rulers of the Zeeland Province.
Next followed the Lange Delft, the main shopping area in Middelburg, an interesting mixture of old and new!
In the Vismarkt (1559) we saw an old Ludwig XV water pump, and exiting the market place we crossed the water (canal) on the footbridge.
Walking along the Kinderdijk, we passed the pretty Patrizier and Captain's houses as well as numerous houseboats moored along the banks, all immaculately kept and decorated with flowers, little trees and bushes.
Crossing the water again over the Beatrix bridge, we passed numerous old storage buildings from the East Indies shipping companies
Passing the monument in memory of Queen Emma, we arrived at the Bree with a view on the Oostkerk, an octagonal Barock church built between the years of 1647-1667.
After walking down the Verwijstraat, we reached the Molenwater and looking right, could see the only remaining city gate, the Koepoort, rebuilt in 1735.

From here we turned into the Koepoortstraat which led us, tired and weary, back to the hotel.

An hour and a half walk through the city may not have seemed an ideal start to the evening after a strenuous 58km bike tour, but we were glad that we had taken the time to do it and grateful to the Hotel owner who had so carefully prepared the detailed "tour guide". Middelburg is an interesting city, but learning some of the history gave us a far better insight to the things that we saw as we walked through the city.

We enjoyed a wonderful meal in the old cellar restaurant before turning in for the night. Needless to say, we slept very well in our "top of the building" rooms.

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