Port of Boekhoute

The designation 'port of Boekhoute' is used for a successive series of former fishing ports in or near the Belgian village of Boekhoute, which is located in the Meetjesland, near the Dutch border. Currently it is a district (hamlet) on the site where the sixteenth-century harbor was located.

Although Boekhoute already existed early in the Middle Ages, it was not until late in the fourteenth century that a port was created. Boekhoute was the westernmost of the Four Crafts and, in addition to the main town, consisted of several small villages from Oosteeklo in the south to the place where the Western Scheldt would later arise. In the north of the craft there was a fairly large tidal channel from which a disastrous storm surge flooded a large part of the craft on October 8, 1375. Several villages and the Wilhelmite monastery perished and the Braakman grew into a veritable inland sea. The water came as far as the village of Boekhoute, but because it is located on a sand ridge, it remained dry.

Shortly afterwards, a dike was built to prevent further flooding. At the place where this dike passes the village, the first port of Boekhoute was created. It is not known how long this harbour was used, but in the course of the fifteenth century it was moved to a location 800 metres north of the village. From that period the sale of the rights to levy tolls on the supply of jaw herring is known.

In the year 1503, the Laurijnepolder was diked by Hieronymus Lauweryn, so that the harbour had to be moved again, back a bit to the north, now one and a half kilometres from the village. This district still bears the name 'Haven'.

At the end of the sixteenth century, the people of Boekhout had to deal with the revolt against the Spanish king (Eighty Years' War) and it is not at all clear whether there was still much port activity at that time.

During the Twelve Years' Truce, dikes were rebuilt so that the port had to move again. The new dikes were breached again and the exact location of the harbour is not known. Eventually it was placed in front of the Isabella lock, but under Napoleon the lock, and therefore probably also the port, was moved 500 meters to the north.
indication of the various places where the port was located

Sometime in the nineteenth century, the port was once again given a new location on the so-called 'Olmendijkje'. This hamlet is still called Bouchauterhaven in the Netherlands and belongs to Philippine, where an important fishing port was also created a little later. Due to Belgian independence, the fishermen of Boekhout, whose mooring place was on Dutch territory, did not have an easy time, but this new port was nevertheless further expanded.

The arrival of the First World War was disastrous for the fishermen of Boekhout. The Netherlands remained neutral and the border was hermetically sealed by means of the so-called death wire. The fishermen could no longer reach their ships and out of necessity many migrated to Zeebrugge. Immediately after the war, the Dijkmeesterpolder was diked in and the people of Boekhout were given a new harbour, back just before the Isabella lock. Right from the start, the new harbour had to contend with the rapid silting up of the channel, so that constant dredging had to be done. During the Second World War, the fishermen were able to continue their profession, but at the end of the war the lock was sabotaged, making silting up even more problematic.

The silting up of the Braakman was not only a problem for the fishermen, but also for the drainage of the surrounding area. By completely closing off the Braakman, this could be solved and a large new agricultural area was created. On June 30, 1952, this plan was carried out by means of some recovered caissons from the Allies from Arromanches. This marked the end of almost six centuries of the port of Boekhoute.

Near the church is a fishing boat, the Bou-8 which was placed here to keep alive the memory of the village's fishing past.

Tux