East Zeeland Flanders

The Landscape

Once, East Zeeland Flanders was a wet and marshy land, crisscrossed by countless creeks. The sea and the Scheldt held sway here, reshaping the land with every tide. During the Eighty Years’ War, this region became the stage for fierce battles between the Dutch Republic and the Spanish crown. In an effort to drive out the enemy, nearly three-quarters of Zeeland Flanders were deliberately flooded. Many of today’s creeks and gullies were born in those turbulent times, silent witnesses to a war where water was the weapon.

Together with ancient creek remnants, wide-open fields, mixed woodlands, and the largest brackish water wilderness in Europe, this region forms a landscape of quiet, rural charm. The absence of beaches and dunes means tourism here is less developed than in West Zeeland Flanders. Yet it is precisely the blend of rich history, unique nature, and the Burgundian spirit of its atmospheric towns and villages that makes East Zeeland Flanders a region well worth discovering.