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Zierikzee
Zierikzee (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈziːrɪkseː]) is a small city in the southwest Netherlands, 50 km southwest of Rotterdam. It is situated in the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland, Zeeland. The city hall of Schouwen-Duiveland is located in Zierikzee, its largest city. Zierikzee is connected to Oosterschelde through a canal. In 2001, the town of Zierikzee had 10,313 inhabitants. The built-up area of the town was 3.0 km2, and contained 4,295 residences.[1] The statistical area "Zierikzee", which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 10,730.[2] HistoryZierikzee, then located on the island of Schouwen, received city rights in 1248. In 1304, a fleet commissioned by the French and Dutch defeated a Flemish fleet in the naval Battle of Zierikzee. Modern historyOn 30 April 1917, a Royal Naval Air Service pilot entered Dutch airspace and mistakenly dropped eight bombs on Zierikzee, damaging several houses and killing a family of three. After initially denying the incident, the British government apologized and agreed to compensate the Dutch for damage and loss of life.[3] In 1953, Zierikzee was damaged by the North Sea flood of 1953. The English town of Hatfield, Hertfordshire sent help and a friendship has developed. The two towns have been twinned. In 1997 the municipality of Zierikzee merged into that of Schouwen-Duiveland. In 2015, the last surviving example of the city's defensive cannons; cast in 1552, was donated to the city by the British coastguard. The coastguard had recovered it from a commercial diver, during a criminal investigation. The diver had found it off the Kent coast.[4] On 27 June 2022, a tornado estimated at between F1 and F2 struck the city, killing one person and injuring nine others.[5] Three hundred properties were damaged.[6][7]
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