Western Scheldt, Braakman and Asseneedse Kreken

The Landscape

The Western Scheldt is one of Europe’s largest estuaries. Shaped by the constant rhythm of ebb and flow and the meeting of fresh and salt water, it harbours a rich tapestry of plant and animal life. The estuary comprises deep and shallow waters, with vast sandbanks, mudflats and salt marshes emerging at low tide. Over time, the Western Scheldt and its ceaseless tides have sculpted and reshaped the landscape again and again.

The Braakman, once a sea inlet near Terneuzen, long formed a natural barrier between the eastern and western parts of Zeeland Flanders. Centuries of flooding turned the land into a soggy expanse, etched by creeks that meandered through it like living veins. Along the sea dike lie deep and shallow waters, sandbanks, mudflats, and salt marshes, now cherished feeding and resting grounds for countless bird species. Inside the dikes, sluices, creeks, old fortifications and earthen ramparts still whisper the poignant tale of a past shaped by battles and floods.

The Asseneedse Kreken form a unique network of waterways and natural landscapes between the Belgian town of Assenede and the Belgian-Dutch border. This tranquil area is a harmony of creeks, wet grasslands, reed beds, and swamp forests, where pollard willows stand like silent sentinels along the water’s edge, and floating islands of vegetation drift gently on the surface.