Vlissingen boulevard

A few nice facts about the view from our hotel:

The Boulevard
The boulevard is the undisputed jewel in Vlissingen's crown. It is two kilometres long and has plenty of terraces, hotels and restaurants and great walks, no matter what the weather. It is also full of works of art, statues, sculptures and antique cannons as reminders of the fortress Vlissingen used to be. Not to forget a unique, panoramic view of the Western Scheldt estuary, where you can see ships sailing by practically under your nose.

Photos and webcam

Highly recommended: a website with wonderful photos of Vlissingen in general and Vlissingen boulevard in particular: www.boulevard-bankert.nl.
You can of course view live images of the boulevard too. Visit the webcam of boulevard-bankert.nl.

Heroes of the sea

Vlissingen boulevard is divided into three overlapping sections, named after the heroes of the sea De Ruyter, Bankert and Evertsen. People walking on the boulevard do not tend to realise that they are actually walking along an old inner dike. Until the 15th century, the sea wall was around 500 metres further out and cows and sheep used to graze where you now see people swimming and surfing!

The Langste Bank (Longest Bench)

In 2007, a bench measuring 122 metres long was installed on the bank between the Gevangentoren (Prison Tower) and the statue of Frans Naerebout.
The bench is sponsored by companies and private individuals. In return, they could all have an inscription of their choosing engraved on their metre of bench. Partly because of these inscriptions, the bench has become something of a monument for Vlissingen.
The Langste Bank has now become a household word amongst the people of Vlissingen. And you can bet that tourists are just as intrigued by it... After all, what a fabulous place to sit!

Metamorphosis

The city of Vlissingen has changed a great deal over the years. The area around Boulevard Bankert/Boulevard Evertsen at the Leeuwentrap has certainly undergone a huge metamorphosis. Old structures have given way to high-rise buildings. Where once you would have found a bandstand, you will now find a square with special ground-level lighting and a specially designed windbreak. Modernisation is the name of the game on this section of the Boulevard.
Even more interesting facts...

The World Wind Organ

You will come across sculptures and works of art in many places in Vlissingen. A good example is the Wind Organ at the end of the dike known as the Nolledijk, a monument which is unique in the Netherlands; in fact, there are only three in the whole of Europe. The pipes, made of bamboo, feature special holes which produce various sounds when the wind blows through them.

The beach

The bathing beach is in front of Boulevard Evertsen and after the dike known as the Nolledijk (near the Wind Organ), the beach stretches on for kilometres along the Walcheren coast.

Shipwrecks

There are many shipwrecks at the bottom of the Western Scheldt estuary, often sunk as a result of the treacherous combination of shallow waters, strong currents and bad weather. The various wars also played an important role here. Particularly during the invasion of Walcheren (Operation Infatuate I/II) in November 1944, various (war) ships went down both off and on the coastline.