Art and culture in Zeeland

Art and culture

Zeeland is bursting with art and culture. For many a year, artists have found inspiration in the special light, the sea and the special attractions – as you’ll see in outdoor art and murals and in museums with works of art. Culture just oozes out of the streets of Middelburg, Zierikzee and Hulst, and of special monuments and museums. Everything that your cultured heart desires is here.

The art of Zeeland

Roots of art, routes of art

Now known to many as the artistic capital of Zeeland, the village of Domburg grew into an artist’s colony at the turn of the former (19th) century. Devotees included Piet Mondriaan, and Jan and Charley Toorop, impassioned by the exceptional light of the Walcheren peninsula. You’ll find a splendid overview of the artists drawn to Domburg in the Marie Tak van Poortvliet museum – and as you stroll down the ‘In het licht van Toorop en Mondriaan’ trail.

As clear as the light which has long enticed artists here, Zeeland to this today is a magnet for artists and art lovers. The landscape, the rhythmic sea and its unique light pulls them. Brushed broadly across the region, you’ll find strokes of routes laid out for those lovers. Galleries galore, studios spread out. Tips for an admirer like you? Follow the networks of bike and walking trails amongst the statues and sculptures in Vlissingen. A similar route in Terneuzen complements the rich De Kunstschouw route on Schouwen-Duiveland, a ribbon linking 200 artists through some dozen villages. Ayonder on our eastern island, a two-day-long sash will grab you in the kunstroute Tholen. Wind up your summer wanderings during two August weekends along the Kunstspoor op Noord-Beveland linking all the artefacts and galleries of the island. Now, unravel all that – we dare you!

Culture meets art in Zeeland

Monuments

Many of our monuments are works of art in themselves, but they’re the essence of Zeeuws culture. The imposing statue of national marine hero Michiel de Ruyter on the boulevard of Vlissingen is one of the most renowned. The Flood Disaster Museum (Watersnoodmuseum) in Ouwerkerk is itself a national monument Watersnoodmonument. In Tholen, the birthplace of the family of President Roosevelt, is home to the Four Freedomsmonument. And bang in the middle of Middelburg the evocative slavery monument (Slavernijmonument) is a confronting reminder of an inglorious slice of Zeeuws history. Such Zeeuwse monumenten as these are portals to some 1,100 monuments (listed buildings) in Middelburg and the astounding total of 500 in Zierikzee. Just to dally along local streets is a cultural roadshow.