Cities in the Netherlands
North Sea Region II
The Story of Cadzand
The Zeeuws Vlaanderen village, originally spelled with a ‘K’, was an independent municipality until 1970 after which it became part of Oostburg. In 1840 it had 200 dwellings which together were home to 1,200 people. Already mentioned in records in 1112, it then was an island in the Zwin inlet (which reached all the way to Bruges, Belgium). After a series of land reclamations it became part of the mainland, although the polder remained uninhabited for the longest time. French refugees (Huguenots) colonized it in the beginning of the 17th century. The village was heavily damaged in the warfare of 1944 and thus has a ‘modern’ appearance. Like Bergen (Noord-Holland) it has a inland village and a mondain seaside resort.
Nature reserve Het Zwin - partially in Belgium - is full of creeks, mudflats, just-formed dunes and beaches with unique plant and animal life. Cadzand also is home to Painters museum Lucas Tack with material dating from back to the 18th century.