Brouwershaven

Brouwershaven (Zeeuws: Brouwesaeven or simply Brouw) is a Dutch city on the former island of Schouwen and is part of the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland in the province of Zeeland. It is located on the Brouwershavense Gat and the Grevelingenmeer. Until 1 January 1961, Brouwershaven was an independent municipality, after which it became the capital of the new municipality of Brouwershaven. In January 2008 the city had 1426 inhabitants, the area within the old fortifications has been a protected cityscape since 1973 and is one of the protected townscapes in Zeeland.

Brouwershaven was founded around 1285 as a new harbour for Brijdorpe, whose harbour was silted up. The name Brouwershaven appears for the first time in 1318. In 1403 the city was granted city rights by Albert of Bavaria, but it did not have a seat in the States of Zeeland. An attempt made in 1619-1620 to get a seat failed due to opposition from the first noble prince Maurice and the Committed Councils[1], so that Brouwershaven has always remained a small city.

The history of Brouwershaven is one of connection with the water. Catching fish and shellfish was an important source of income. But the trade in wine and beer, wood and stone, wool and flax, turnips and beets also made the city grow. For a long time, mining was also a source of income. When this was banned, the salt was taken from warm regions where the sun could evaporate seawater, such as Portugal. A large part of this salt was transported to the ports on the Baltic Sea, where wood and other products were purchased.

In 1575, the barely fortified city was captured by Spanish troops and then set on fire. From 1590 onwards, Brouwershaven was provided with earthen city walls, surrounded by a wet moat. Five gates gave access to the city. During the storm surge of 1682, part of the fortifications were destroyed. The fortress was dissolved in 1820, after which it was dismantled. The ramparts and moats on the east and north sides of the city have been preserved.

Until the nineteenth century, Brouwershaven offered a mixed economic picture. Brouwershaven flourished as a fishing port, especially during the 17th century. Times of good and bad fortune alternated. Brouwershaven had one shortcoming: the road from the actual harbour to the Grevelingen was long and narrow. The ships became larger and the narrow canal prevented these larger merchant ships from entering the harbour and Brouwershaven started to lag behind in the maritime sector.

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