Westkapelle (Zeeuws: Wasijzenel) is a village, with historical status as a city, in the municipality of Veere on the western tip of the former island of Walcheren. It is therefore in the Dutch province of Zeeland. Westkapelle had 2,615 inhabitants on January 1, 2020.
Westkapelle may have been founded in the time of the Vikings. The settlement was granted city rights in 1223 but had no seat in the States of Zeeland, which is why it was called a narrow town. The city lived mainly from fishing (herring). In 1400 a storm flood swept away the Western Cape, ending the prosperity of Westkapelle. At that time the construction of the Westkapelse Zeedijk was started. In 1454 the city was sold to Heer Hendrik van Veere. Emperor Charles V visited the town in 1540. Until 1996 Westkapelle was an independent municipality. A remnant of the time that Westkapelle was a narrow city is the annual fair with accompanying militia de Gaaischieters.
On 3 October
1944, the seawall on the south side of the village was destroyed by
British bombers (this event is still simply called 't Bombardement
in Westkapelle), with the intention of flooding Walcheren in order
to remove the island from the German occupier to free. 180
inhabitants of the town were killed in this bombing; the place
itself was virtually wiped off the map by the bombs and the gushing
seawater. The Allied troops landed on November 1, 1944 with landing
craft to the north and south of the resulting dike hole. At the time
of the landing, six people were still in the village, the rest of
the survivors had been evacuated to the surrounding villages. More
than a year later, the gap was closed on 12 October 1945. A still
visible remnant of the Second World War is the creek that was
created by the bombing. Because of the salty seepage water, under
the dike, the water is brackish instead of fresh. For more
information about this and the other bombardments of the dikes on
Walcheren, see: Inundation of Walcheren.
As a reminder of
this war, but certainly also of the liberation, there is an M4A4
Sherman tank on the dike. Behind the lighthouse "High light" are, in
a semicircle, the graves of the war victims.
Westkapelle is known for its lighthouse, the "Hoge licht", which can
be seen immediately upon entering the former city. This tower is the
remnant of the Gothic St. Willibrord Church, which was lost by fire
in the night of 14 to 15 March 1831. In 1818 a beacon was placed on
it so that it could serve as a lighthouse. A special feature of a
light tower is that it is not on the sea side, but on the land side
of the town. This was done deliberately so that in the time when the
dikes were even less solid there would be less chance of damage in
the event of flooding.
In addition, there is a second
lighthouse on the seawall on the north side, the so-called "Iron
tower". Both lighthouses together form a light line to guide
shipping in the Oostgat towards the Westerschelde. The "High light"
with "Lichtopstand Zoutelande" also forms a red light line for ships
from Vlissingen.
The only mill in Westkapelle that survived
the war is the De Noorman flour mill.
Another attraction is
the Westkappelse Zeedijk, a five kilometer long seawall of basalt
stone in the row of dunes that protects the island of Walcheren from
the sea. For the delta works, this was the sign of the Netherlands
against water.
The Dike and War Museum is located in the
former polder house.
In Westkapelle, special costumes were always worn, but because Westkapelle is urbanizing, the wearing of this folk dress is starting to die out. Traditional costumes are still worn on special occasions, such as ring riding and sjeezen riding and the West Chapel old-fashioned customs.
Westkapelle has long been a very closed community, although this is less nowadays due to tourism and people who have moved to the village from elsewhere in the Netherlands. This was, and is, clearly visible from the limited number of family names that occur there; furthermore, because it was customary to name children after their grandparents, uncles and aunts, many people actually had the same name. For example, Minderhoud, Gabriëlse and Roelse are relatively common surnames in Westkapelle.
To avoid confusion, nicknames were - and are - used in everyday
life. These differ enormously and are sometimes personal, but are
sometimes passed on in the family, as it were; often a combination
of both is the case. The nickname can be derived from a person's
real name, refer to his or her mother or father (and sometimes
several generations back), and / or come from something completely
different - again, combinations of these are common. Some nicknames
stem from events that happened generations ago, so earlier nicknames
may have been replaced by newer nicknames. So it may be that
families have multiple nicknames, only the newest form is used.
Outsiders who are not aware of this may even experience problems,
because sometimes a person's real name is barely known: he or her is
really only known by the nickname, and the real name must be
considered hard.
For more official matters, the initial of
the father, followed by the letter "z" or "d" (son or daughter), was
usually placed after the family name: the name Johanna Minderhoud
Hd, for example, indicates that she was the daughter of H. Less
content. This was also used in obituaries.
At Westkapelle there is a sandy beach with some beach
pavilions.
Near the village is "De Kreek", a lake created by
the destruction of the dyke in the Second World War, along which is
a footpath. The European walking route E9, also known as the North
Sea Path, runs through Westkapelle.
Well-known Westkapelle
boots
Abraham Caland, Water Management Engineer
Niels
Dominicus, football player
Johan Gabriëlse, illustrator,
lithographer, painter and draftsman
Matthew Galenus (Matthew van
Galen), philosopher, theologian
Ad Kaland, politician
Hans
Peter Minderhoud, Olympic dressage rider
Alet Schouten, writer
Niels van Alphen, professional poker player
Jan van Rooijen,
football player