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City in Zeeland, Netherlands
Photo: Gerard Dukker, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Zierikzee is a town in the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland in the Dutch province of Zeeland. The city has 11,000 inhabitants and is the capital of the municipality.
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The building was built in 1358, then demolished and rebuilt in 1526. Translated Gravensteen means Building of the Count. In the building lived the steward of the count and his officials. In its heyday it also served as a court and prison. The numerous inscriptions, the oldest of which dates back to 1577, are a reminder of those prisoners. It remained a place of detention until 1923. Since the restoration in 2012 a Fair Trade Shop is housed in the building.
Nobel Gate
The Nobelpoort is one of the three remaining city gates of Zierikzee and dates from the mid 14th century. In front of the gate was originally a drawbridge. Until 1866 the gates were closed every night.
North port gate
The Noordhavenpoort originally dates from the 14th century. The gate looks a lot less tough than the opposite gate. In 1559 the gate got its current ornamental facades on the city side.
South port gate
The Zuidhavenpoort dates from the 13th century and is more impressive then the Noorderhavenpoort. It is a variant of the Nobel Gate, but much more sober constructed. The building has three floors, accessible via a staircase turret placed against the building.
The Hope
The Hope is a stone mills that replaced the old wooden mill in 1850. It has a height of more than 12 m and can be seen from a long distance.
The Hare
Den Haas is a large mill dating from 1727 and is splendidly located. The mill was put back into service after restoration as a corn mill in 1987.
Bandstand
The Muziektent at the Havenpark was built to commemorate the visit of HM Queen Wilhelmina and HRH Prince Henry on September 13, 1907.
New Church
This neoclassical church was built in the period 1835-1848 as the successor to the Sint-Lievenmonster church that was laid in ashes in 1832.
According an uncontrollable source the church was founded in 1151. The basilica was dedicated to St. Livinus (Sint Lieven), a Scottish martyr. Over the centuries the church was expanded several times. In 1576 the church passed into Reformed hands. In 1832 the church was destroyed by fire and demolished. What left was the 62 meter tall tower, also known as the Dikke Toren (or Fat Tower) whose construction began in 1454. In summer the tower can be visited from Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 17:00. For €3 you can climb the tower for the panoramic view.
The Catholic community was allowed to build a new church under restriction that it did not look like a church from the outside. The church was first used in 1768. The church was renovated in 1842 and got a new front finally showing that it was not just a house but a church. The little tower dates from 1931.
Hotel ‘t Poorthuus
This large house dates from the beginning of the 15th century. It was tastefully renovated in 2006 and now it’s a hotel with a grand café and a restaurant. The grand café on the front has a height of about 4.5 m and has an extremely stylish English appearance. A small haut cuisine restaurant is in an old vaulted cellar that served as a kitchen in the 16th and 17th century.
The Camera Museum tells the story of the history and the development of photography in all its aspects so far. By appointment you can contact us to take a photo in costume.
Town Hall Museum
On one of the bells of the town hall is the date 1358 engraved which is probably the year that the building was first put into use. The first small town hall was demolished and rebuilt in 1554. The tower dates from the same year. On top is a statue of Neptune. With a trident in his hand the Roman God overlooks the town. The city council resided here until 1997. These days the Town hall museum is in this building. It is merged with the old maritime museum. Objects from 1000 years history can be admired here. The Town Hall Museum has its own bar area in the courtyard with a terrace. There can be solemnized marriages and registered partnerships.
Port Museum Zeeland
The museum has two locations: On the outside location (at the Old Port of Zierikzee) is the collection of historic ships. In the near vicinity is the museum yard where restoration works are carried out. The address of the yard is Vissersdijk 2.
Jan de Jonge fietsen
Rent a bike for a day or more and cross the island as a bike offers you more freedom to reach remote spots.
With a maximum of 10 people you can help sailing or just relax on the Pieterman, a cabin sailing yacht. The price depends on your wishes and the possibilities. Always contact before for an offer.
A day fishing on the Oosterschelde with De Hector, and in 1929 built steam tug converted to a passenger ship. The Hector sails with 12 people.
Neeltje Jans is an artificial island halfway between Noord-Beveland and Schouwen-Duiveland. It was constructed to facilitate the construction of the Oosterscheldedam. The island was named after a nearby shoal. It is a family theme park with lot of attractions. You can visit the Delta Works and walk through the inside of the storm surge barrier
Zierikzee has no beaches but nearby between Neelje Jans (de Punt) en the Brouwersdam (Scharendijke) stretches 20 km of sandy beaches and dunes. Park your car near the lighthouse. The tower is 50 m high but is not open to visitors. Walk through the hilly dunes to the beach over a distance of about 600 m and enjoy the scenery.
Flood Museum
The Flood Museum is in the four caissons used for closing the last hole in the dyke, which arose during the floods of 1953. Footage give an impression of the rescue, relief and reconstruction with the resources of that time. Dozens of newspapers give an impression of the disaster, as the photo folder, where 12,500 photos are housed. Relief supplies, but also the machinery for the restore works are shown. On a large model are the numerous dyke breaches stated.
This cosy cafe restaurant has a terrace on the waterfront. They serve a wide range of dishes from simple rolls to grilled steaks for very reasable prices.
They promote the Zeeland way of living.
This restaurant is on the market square. It has a fine atmosphere and good food for reasable prices. Specialities are mussels and fish but they serve good meat dishes as well.
Specialized in self made pastries. It has terraces on the market square and serve a wide range of lunch and dinner dishes.
In a 17th century building. Wide range of lunch and dinner dishes. They serve three and four course menus.
It has 90 seats on two floors and a lounge area.
They serve 40 different pizzas (max €11) and some Turkish dishes.
This is a nice pub
This pub has a warm atmosphere and views the port. It offers lunch dishes and snacks.
This monumental building has 2 apartments and is directly located at the port.
The building in the historical centre dates from 1560 and has 15 rooms. It has a garden of 1460 m².
Basic but good rooms. Breakfast additional for €10 p.p.
The camp site is located on 15 minutes walk from Zierikzee centre. A bus station is 200 m distance.
"Mini-camping". Large recreation room (with sockets to recharge phones, etc.). Free Wi-Fi.
Boven het Dal is a nice little second hand book shop mainly of literature.
For books, maps, postcards, notebooks and writing materials.
Typical week market with about 75 stalls with food, fruit, flowers, textile, shoes, toys, tools and so on.
Horse Market
This annual event originates from the old horse market who first took place in 1389 and lasted for two weeks. Until World War II the market dominated by trade in horses and small animals like rabbits, chickens and geese. After the war the horses disappeared but the horse market name was retained. In fact it became a normal year market. In the 1990s, the horse made a comeback, not in the form of a product but more as decoration of the event. Belgian horses were real eye-catchers that attracted many visitors. Nowadays there are again about 30 horses on the market, not for sale but just to look at. People can take a ride in a Lustig.
Zierikzee has no railway connection and there is no nearby airport. It can be reached by car or by public bus. Coming from the East follow A58 to the direction of Middelburg and turn right to N256 after Goes.
Read in the guideZierikzee can be best visited by foot. Most monuments can be seen within the radius of about 3 km.
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Rotterdam · International · RTM
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