Brothel rampart

April 25, 1604. An enormous fleet of 800 ships sets sail from the Rede of Vlissingen towards the Island of Cadzand. On board: 11,000 soldiers under the command of Prince Maurits. Objective: to liberate Ostend from a nearly three-year siege by the Spaniards. The port city is the last stronghold of the States in Flanders (along with the towns of Biervliet, Terneuzen, and Axel). For them, it is an important foothold from which they can greatly trouble the Spaniards.
The States quickly conquer the island. However, they fail to cross the Zwin and decide to approach Ostend via a detour. The Spanish forts at Oostburg, IJzendijke, and the fortress of Aardenburg are captured one by one. Then Maurits turns his sights on Sluis, the base of Spanish galleys, which seriously hinder the supply of Ostend by sea.
To be able to close off the Zwin, the States move around Sluis and occupy the western shore of the Zwin... the siege of Sluis begins.

Ontdek de Zwinregio