| Designations | |
|---|---|
| Official name | Oosterschelde |
| Designated | 4 March 1987 |
| Reference no. | 354 [1] |
The Eastern Scheldt (Dutch : Oosterschelde) is a former estuary in the province of Zeeland, Netherlands, between Schouwen-Duiveland and Tholen on the north and Noord-Beveland and Zuid-Beveland on the south. It also features the largest national park in the Netherlands, founded in 2002.
During the Roman Era it was the major mouth of the Scheldt River. Before the St. Felix's Flood of 1530, it flowed north as a river from the east end of the Westerschelde, turned west a little west of Bergen op Zoom, and then west along the north edge of what is now the Verdronken Land van Reimerswaal, and after that widened into an estuary. Later parts of that lost land were reclaimed, restricting part of the connection to the Scheldt River to a narrow channel called the Kreekrak, which silted up and became unnavigable. In 1867 the Kreekrak was closed off with a railway embankment, connecting in the process the island of Zuid-Beveland to the mainland of North Brabant. From that moment on, the Oosterschelde lost its connection with the Scheldt, and is no longer functioning as an estuary.
Between Schouwen-Duiveland and Noord-Beveland there are two road connections, the Oosterscheldedam on the west and the Zeeland Bridge on the east.
After the North Sea flood of 1953, it was decided to close off the Oosterschelde by means of a dam and a storm surge barrier. The Oosterscheldekering (Eastern Scheldt Storm Surge Barrier), between Schouwen-Duiveland and Noord-Beveland, is the largest of 13 ambitious Delta Works designed to protect a large part of the Netherlands from flooding. A four-kilometre section has huge sluice gates, which are normally open but can be closed in adverse weather.
Upon completion of the Oosterscheldekering and Oesterdam in 1986, the ebb and flow of water decreased and thus the tidal height differential was reduced from 3.40 metres (11.2 ft) to 3.25 metres (10.7 ft). As a result, the shoals are no longer being naturally replenished with sand, further disrupting the ecosystem of the estuary; the shoals are used for, among other things, food for birds and resting places for seals. [2] To help compensate for the partial loss of the tide, Rijkswaterstaat applied large amounts of sand to the Roggeplaat shoal in the northwestern part of the estuary in 2019 and 2020. [2]
Since May 8, 2002, the entire Oosterschelde has been designated as a national park. Its boundaries are the dikes of Schouwen-Duiveland, Tholen, Sint Philipsland, Noord-Beveland, Zuid-Beveland, and the dams of the Delta Works. Having an area of 370 square kilometres (140 sq mi), it is the largest national park in the Netherlands. Total shore length is 125 kilometres (78 mi).
The park consists primarily of the salt waters of the Oosterschelde, but also includes some mud flats, meadows and shoals. Because of the large variety of sea life, including unique regional species, the park is popular with scuba divers. Other activities include sailing, fishing, cycling and bird watching.
Zeeland is the westernmost and least populous province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the southwest of the country, borders North Brabant to the east, South Holland to the north, as well as the country of Belgium to the south and west. It consists of a number of islands and peninsulas and a strip bordering the Flemish provinces of East and West Flanders. Its capital is Middelburg with a population of 48,544 as of November 2019, although the largest municipality in Zeeland is Terneuzen. Zeeland has two seaports: Vlissingen and Terneuzen. Its area is 2,934 square kilometres (1,130 sq mi), of which 1,151 square kilometres (440 sq mi) is water; it has a population of 383,689.
The Delta Works is a series of construction projects in the southwest of the Netherlands to protect a large area of land around the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta from the sea. Constructed between 1954 and 1997, the works consist of dams, sluices, locks, dykes, levees, and storm surge barriers located in the provinces of South Holland and Zeeland.
Neeltje Jans is an artificial island in the Netherlands in the province of Zeeland, halfway between Noord-Beveland and Schouwen-Duiveland in the Oosterschelde. It was constructed to facilitate the construction of the Oosterscheldedam.
Noord-Beveland is a municipality and region in the southwestern Netherlands and a former island, now part of the Walcheren-Zuid-Beveland-Noord-Beveland peninsula. Noord-Beveland is enclosed by the Oosterschelde estuary to the north, and the former straits, now combined lake, of Veerse Meer and Zandkreek to the south. As part of the Delta Works, dams have connected Noord-Beveland to Walcheren and Zuid-Beveland.
Schouwen-Duiveland is a municipality and an island in the southwestern Netherlands province of Zeeland. The municipality has 33,737 inhabitants and covers an area of 488.94 square kilometres.
The Western Scheldt in the province of Zeeland in the southwestern Netherlands, is the estuary of the Scheldt river. This river once had several estuaries, but the others are now disconnected from the Scheldt, leaving the Westerschelde as its only direct route to the sea. The Western Scheldt is an important shipping route to the Port of Antwerp, Belgium. Unlike the Eastern Scheldt estuary, it could not be closed off from the sea by a dam as part of the Delta Works. Instead, the dykes around it have been heightened and reinforced.
Zuid-Beveland is part of the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands north of the Western Scheldt and south of the Eastern Scheldt.
The Scheldt–Rhine Canal (Schelde-Rijnkanaal) in Belgium and the Netherlands connects Antwerp with the Volkerak, and thereby the Scheldt with the Rhine.
The Zeeland Bridge is the longest bridge in the Netherlands. The bridge spans the Eastern Scheldt estuary. It connects the islands of Schouwen-Duiveland and Noord-Beveland in the province of Zeeland.
The 1953 North Sea flood was a major flood caused by a heavy storm surge that struck the Netherlands, north-west Belgium, England and Scotland. Most sea defences facing the surge were overwhelmed, resulting in extensive flooding.
The Oosterscheldekering, between the islands Schouwen-Duiveland and Noord-Beveland, is the largest of the Delta Works, a series of dams and storm surge barriers, designed to protect the Netherlands from flooding from the North Sea. The construction of the Delta Works was a response to the widespread damage and loss of life in the North Sea flood of 1953.
Yerseke is a village situated on the southern shore of the Oosterschelde estuary in the Dutch province of Zeeland. A separate municipality until 1970, it today forms part of the municipality of Reimerswaal. As of 2010 Yerseke had a recorded population of 6,695 inhabitants, living in 2,680 households.
Ouwerkerk is a village in the southwest Netherlands. It is located in the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland, Zeeland about 60 km south of Rotterdam.
Oosterschelde National Park is a national park in the Dutch province of Zeeland.
Ballast Nedam is a Dutch-based construction and engineering company headquartered in Nieuwegein. The company resulted from a merger between Amsterdamse Ballast Maatschappij and Nederlandse Aannemingsmaatschappij.
In August 1572, during the course of the Eighty Years' War, the city of Goes, in the Spanish Netherlands, was besieged by Dutch forces with the support of English troops sent by Queen Elizabeth I. This was a menace to the safety of the nearby city of Middelburg, also under siege. Given the impossibility of rescue of Goes by sea, 3,000 soldiers of the Spanish Tercios under the command of Cristóbal de Mondragón waded across the river Scheldt at its mouth, walking 15 miles overnight in water up to chest deep. The surprise arrival of the Tercios forced the withdrawal of the Anglo-Dutch troops from Goes, allowing the Spanish to maintain control of Middelburg, capital of Walcheren Island.
Katseveer is a restaurant in Wilhelminadorp, Netherlands. It is a fine dining restaurant that was awarded one Michelin star for the period 2006–present.
The Grevelingendam is a dam located in the Grevelingen sea inlet between Schouwen-Duiveland and Goeree-Overflakkee in The Netherlands. The Grevelingendam was the fourth structure constructed as part of the Delta Works.
The Zandkreekdam is a dam in The Netherlands which connects Zuid-Beveland with Noord-Beveland, and separates the Oosterschelde from the Veerse Meer. A navigation lock in the dam permits shipping connections to Middelburg and Vlissingen, via the Veerse Meer and the Walcheren navigation channel. The Zandkreekdam is 830 metres in length, and was the second project to be constructed as part of the Delta Works, having been proposed by Johan van Veen as part of the Drie-Eilanden Plan which originated in the 1930s.
Frank Spaargaren was a Dutch hydraulic engineer who was one of the main designers of the Oosterscheldekering and served as a director of the Waterloopkundig Laboratorium in Delft.
51°33′14″N3°57′57″E / 51.55389°N 3.96583°E
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