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Middelburg

Middelburg
Municipality
Former city hall of Middelburg
Flag of Middelburg
Flag
Coat of arms of Middelburg
Coat of arms
Highlighted position of Middelburg in a municipal map of Zeeland
Location in Zeeland
Coordinates: 51°30′N 3°37′E / 51.500°N 3.617°E / 51.500; 3.617Coordinates: 51°30′N 3°37′E / 51.500°N 3.617°E / 51.500; 3.617
Country Netherlands
Province Zeeland
Government
 • Body Municipal council
 • Mayor Harald Bergmann (VVD)
Area
 • Total 53.04 km2 (20.48 sq mi)
 • Land 48.54 km2 (18.74 sq mi)
 • Water 4.50 km2 (1.74 sq mi)
Elevation 3 m (10 ft)
Population (May 2014)
 • Total 47,658
 • Density 982/km2 (2,540/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Middelburger
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postcode 4330–4341
Area code 0118
Website www.middelburg.nl

Middelburg (Dutch: [ˈmɪdəlˌbɵrx]) is a municipality and a city in the south-western Netherlands and the capital of the province of Zeeland. Situated on the central peninsula of the Zeeland province, Midden-Zeeland (consisting of former islands Walcheren, Noord-Beveland and Zuid-Beveland), it has a population of about 48,000.

The city of Middelburg dates back possibly to the late 8th century or early 9th century. The first mention of Middelburg was as one of three fortified towns (i.e., borgs) erected on Walcheren (then an island) to guard against Viking raids. In 844 a monastery was built on the site, which remained an active Catholic foundation until the Reformation. Foundations for Middelburg's "stately and picturesque" cathedral (one of only two pre-Reformation cathedrals in The Netherlands, along with St. Martin's in Utrecht) were first laid in the 10th century; additional construction continued through the Middle Ages.

Middelburg was granted city rights in 1217. During the Middle Ages, it became an important trading centre in the commerce between England and the rising cities of Flanders. The town continued to gain in power and prestige during the 13th and 14th centuries.

From 1559.05.12 to 1603, Middelburg was the episcopal see of a Catholic bishopric covering all Zeeland. In the Eighty Years' War, Middelburg was captured from the Spanish forces during a long siege. The northern provinces of the original Low Countries won their independence from their former Spanish Habsburg rulers and formed The Netherlands, a Protestant state. Later, in the 17th century (the Dutch Golden Age), Middelburg became, after Holland's metropolis Amsterdam, the most important center for the East India Company of Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (VOC) or Dutch East India Company.


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