25/04/2021

The history of Westdorpe, mentioned as early as 1276 and located more to the northeast, has had a remarkable/sad course. In the early 1400s, the northern part of the village was flooded and wiped off the map by the St. Elizabeth's flood, and around 1580, the southern part drowned due to inundation (deliberately flooding an area) to protect the municipality of Axel during the Eighty Years' War. From 1620, the current Westdorpe came into existence through the construction of polder dikes, the Autriche or Austrian polder, due to the efforts of Archduke Albert of Austria. During World War II, Westdorpe also suffered from artillery shelling because it is located next to the bridge of the Ghent-Terneuzen canal. We walk through various polder areas including 'De Groene Knoop', an area of historical significance, where landscape, culture, and nature come together, and the Autriche. Starting from the (camper) parking lot on Bernhardstraat, GPS house number 80 (restaurant De Baeckermat) in Westdorpe, parking on the right side among the trees. Walking info: along the route, about after 4 km, one can choose to walk several times on top of the embankment instead of below. Also, along the canal, one can walk on unpaved paths along the waterline instead of on the asphalt on the seawall.