Terneuzen

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Terneuzen
Municipality
Terneuzen city hall
Terneuzen city hall
Flag of Terneuzen
Flag
Coat of arms of Terneuzen
Coat of arms
Location in Zeeland
Location in Zeeland
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Country Netherlands
Province Zeeland
Government[1]
 • Body Municipal council
 • Mayor Jan Lonink (PvdA)
Area[2]
 • Total 317.76 km2 (122.69 sq mi)
 • Land 250.65 km2 (96.78 sq mi)
 • Water 67.11 km2 (25.91 sq mi)
Elevation[3] 4 m (13 ft)
Population (May 2014)[4]
 • Total 54,771
 • Density 219/km2 (570/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Terneuzenaar
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postcode Part of 4500 range
Area code 0115
Website www.terneuzen.nl

Terneuzen (Dutch pronunciation: [tɛrˈnøːzə(n)]) is a city and municipality in the southwestern Netherlands, in the province of Zeeland, in the middle of Zeelandic Flanders. With over 55,000 inhabitants, it is the most populous municipality of Zeeland.

History

First mentioned in 1325, Terneuzen was a strategically located port on the waterways to Ghent, in present-day Belgium.

It received city rights in 1584.

Tradition has it that Terneuzen was once the home of the legendary Flying Dutchman, Van der Decken, a captain who cursed God and was condemned to sail the seas forever, as described in the Frederick Marryat novel The Phantom Ship and the Richard Wagner opera The Flying Dutchman.

Before 1877, the city was often called Neuzen.

Geography

Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Terneuzen, June 2015

The city of Terneuzen is located on the southern shore of the Western Scheldt estuary.

The municipality of Terneuzen consists of the following population centres:

Economy

Nowadays the Ghent–Terneuzen Canal is still an important shipping route.[5] The port of Terneuzen is the third largest in the Netherlands, after those of Rotterdam and Amsterdam. The largest plant of Dow Chemical Company outside of the United States is located at Terneuzen, on the west side of the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal.

Transport

It can be reached from the rest of the Netherlands via the Western Scheldt Tunnel, which opened in March 2003. Terneuzen is not linked to the rest of the Netherlands by rail - although the Dow Chemical plant is served by a freight only line to Gent/Ghent in Belgium (Terneuzen's passenger rail service was withdrawn in 1951).

Attractions

Nowadays, Terneuzen is known for its beautiful town hall, the Amsterdam-like canals and the old looking houses.

Notable residents

  • Sandra E. Roelofs, the former first lady of Georgia.
  • Lodewijk van den Berg, astronaut on a Challenger Space Shuttle mission, born in Sluiskil, Terneuzen.
  • Klaas de Vries, a composer and one of the founders of a music style that became known as the Rotterdam School.
  • Jacques Hamelink, a novelist, poet and literary critic, who is best known for his poetry and early short story collections such as Het plantaardig bewind ("The Vegetative Dominion", 1964).
  • Erik de Bruyn, film director
  • Eric van Damme, Dutch economist
  • Avy van de Brande, international model

References

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  5. www.binnenvaart.be

External links