Watersnoodroute | The dikes near Zierikzee
Zierikzee, Ouwerkerk, Serooskerke
"They were all on those roofs, just a little bit above the water." (Wim Schot, Zierikzee. The Story, Watersnoodmuseum) A north-northwest storm developed on the Atlantic Ocean in the days before the Flood Disaster. A strong driving wind with a force of 11 to 12, pushed the water towards the Strait of Dover. KNMI sent out a warning for all coastal areas on 31 January: severe storm on the way with 'dangerously high water'. With the water unable to move at the strait, it looks for an exit towards Zeeland. Instead of taking immediate action, dozens of people actually go to watch the impressive weather. However, the water no longer subsides during low tide and only rises with each high tide. At 03.00, the first dykes begin to break, including in Zierikzee and Ouwerkerk. Almost all of Schouwen-Duiveland floods. You cycle in Zierikzee along the Havenkanaal, where the dykes broke. For this reason, there is an impressive monument at the end of the canal. The monument shows a powerful woman with a child seeking protection from her mother. Over land that was completely under water during the disaster, you cycle to Serooskerke. Just a little further, at Schelphoek, a dike also broke through. From the viewpoint at Schelphoek, you can see the old dike with the hole. You cycle over the Schouwsedijk via Brouwershaven. Together with men from the village, Merientje Vis single-handedly closed a hole in the dike. Thanks to Merientje, a large surrounding polder remained dry. Unfortunately, this did not succeed in Nieuwerkerk. After the dike broke in Ouwerkerk, the water came rushing through the polder. There was no escape, people climbed on their roofs and tried to stay afloat when they were knocked loose from the house. In Ouwerkerk and Nieuwerkerk, one in six people died. Ouwerkerk is home to the Watersnoodmuseum, in a caisson that was used to close the flood hole from the night of the disaster. The museum tells you all about the disaster: what preceded it and how it should be prevented in the future. Through an impressive artwork, the victims are named and commemorated. You can easily start this cycle route at Hotel and Restaurant de Schelphoek, where there is plenty of parking space. Photo: © National Archives
| Directions | Distance | Total distance | |
|
Start: Haven Serooskerke , 4327 AE Schouwen-Duiveland | 55.9 KM | |
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From
81
to
80
|
909 M | 0.9 KM | |
| Head east on Haven Serooskerke | 115 M | ||
| Turn right | 12 M | ||
| Turn left onto Delingsdijk | 51 M | ||
| Make a slight left to stay on Delingsdijk | 25 M | ||
| Turn left onto Delingsdijk | 48 M | ||
| Continue straight | 181 M | ||
| Continue onto Serooskerkseweg | 242 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Stoofweg | 235 M | ||
| You are now at section 80 | 0 M | ||
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From
80
to
82
|
2632 M | 2.6 KM | |
| Head east on Dorpsweg | 401 M | ||
| Turn left onto Oude Zandweg | 322 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Ridderweg | 1.2 KM | ||
| Turn right | 675 M | ||
| You are now at section 82 | 0 M | ||
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From
82
to
88
|
2361 M | 2.4 KM | |
| Head northeast | 1.3 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Hogeweg | 37 M | ||
| Turn right | 1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 88 | 0 M | ||
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From
88
to
87
|
1597 M | 1.6 KM | |
| Head east | 1.6 KM | ||
| You are now at section 87 | 0 M | ||
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From
87
to
96
|
4084 M | 4.1 KM | |
| Head southeast on Ringdijk | 349 M | ||
| Turn left onto Hoogenboomsweg | 95 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Hoogenboomsweg | 761 M | ||
| Turn right onto Slahofsweg | 1.2 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Schendersweg | 1.4 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Kromwal | 253 M | ||
| You are now at section 96 | 0 M | ||
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From
96
to
93
|
3791 M | 3.8 KM | |
| Head south on Oude Schouwsedijk | 1.4 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Turelureweg | 353 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Schouwsedijk | 2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 93 | 0 M | ||
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From
93
to
69
|
235 M | 0.2 KM | |
| Head south on Schouwsedijk | 5 M | ||
| Turn left onto Heereweg | 230 M | ||
| You are now at section 69 | 0 M | ||
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From
69
to
94
|
515 M | 0.5 KM | |
| Head east on Heereweg | 515 M | ||
| You are now at section 94 | 0 M | ||
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From
94
to
61
|
1119 M | 1.1 KM | |
| Head east on Heereweg | 195 M | ||
| Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Noordgouwe | 28 M | ||
| Exit the roundabout towards Noordgouwe | 197 M | ||
| Turn right onto Ring | 55 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Oosterweegje | 644 M | ||
| You are now at section 61 | 0 M | ||
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From
61
to
62
|
4048 M | 4 KM | |
| Head south on Dreischorsedijk | 1.8 KM | ||
| Keep right onto Zuiddijk | 951 M | ||
| Turn left onto Bogerdweg | 11 M | ||
| Turn right | 328 M | ||
| Continue onto Zuiddijk | 1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 62 | 0 M | ||
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From
62
to
4
|
2032 M | 2 KM | |
| Head west on Noorddijk | 1.5 KM | ||
| Keep right onto Oudepolderdijk | 564 M | ||
| You are now at section 04 | 0 M | ||
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From
4
to
3
|
3831 M | 3.8 KM | |
| Head southwest on Capelleweg | 827 M | ||
| Turn left onto Steenzwaanweg | 990 M | ||
| Turn left | 114 M | ||
| Turn right onto Velddamseweg | 530 M | ||
| Turn right onto Stoofweg | 1.4 KM | ||
| You are now at section 03 | 0 M | ||
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From
3
to
10
|
4421 M | 4.4 KM | |
| Head southwest on Schoolstraat | 930 M | ||
| Turn left onto Stolpweg | 11 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Stolpweg | 79 M | ||
| Turn left onto Rijksweg | 694 M | ||
| Turn right onto Oude Nieuwlandseweg | 2.5 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Middenweg | 202 M | ||
| You are now at section 10 | 0 M | ||
|
From
10
to
69
|
182 M | 0.2 KM | |
| Head south on Middenweg | 182 M | ||
| You are now at section 69 | 0 M | ||
|
From
69
to
2
|
903 M | 0.9 KM | |
| Head southwest on Beijerseweg | 894 M | ||
| Turn right onto Oostersteijnweg | 9 M | ||
| You are now at section 02 | 0 M | ||
|
From
2
to
9
|
4592 M | 4.6 KM | |
| Head southwest on Zuiddijk | 1.2 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Weg van de Buitenlandse Pers | 565 M | ||
| Turn left | 14 M | ||
| Continue straight | 145 M | ||
| Make a slight right | 277 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Buitendijks traject | 2.4 KM | ||
| You are now at section 09 | 0 M | ||
|
From
9
to
6
|
3762 M | 3.8 KM | |
| Head northwest | 2.4 KM | ||
| Turn right | 101 M | ||
| Turn left onto Gouweveersezeedijk | 1.3 KM | ||
| You are now at section 06 | 0 M | ||
|
From
6
to
7
|
1160 M | 1.2 KM | |
| Head northwest on Gouweveerseweg | 10 M | ||
| Turn left | 273 M | ||
| Continue onto Julianastraat | 172 M | ||
| Make a slight left to stay on Julianastraat | 241 M | ||
| Make a slight left to stay on Julianastraat | 15 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Julianastraat | 62 M | ||
| Make a slight left | 164 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Julianastraat | 223 M | ||
| You are now at section 07 | 0 M | ||
|
From
7
to
8
|
592 M | 0.6 KM | |
| Head northwest on 's Heer Lauwendorp | 73 M | ||
| Turn left onto Nieuwe Haven | 519 M | ||
| You are now at section 08 | 0 M | ||
|
From
8
to
89
|
10352 M | 10.4 KM | |
| Head south on 't Luitje | 2.6 KM | ||
| Turn right | 6.2 KM | ||
| Turn right | 79 M | ||
| Make a sharp left onto Boogerdweg | 278 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Inlaagweg | 1.2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 89 | 0 M | ||
|
From
89
to
81
|
2738 M | 2.7 KM | |
| Head northwest on Inlaagweg | 1 KM | ||
| Turn left | 78 M | ||
| Make a sharp right | 1.6 KM | ||
| You are now at section 81 | 0 M |