Waterschans

The history of the Waterschans dates back to the beginning of the Eighty Years' War, when Bergen op Zoom was still in Spanish hands. The Spaniards built the Fort op 't Hooft at this strategic location between 1568 and 1577. After the State troops recaptured the city, Father of the Netherlands William of Orange ordered the construction of a fort on the north side as well as a fort on the south side of the harbour canal. Of these North and South Forts (designed by Abraham Andriessen), only the latter eventually remained: the Waterschans. From here, not only could (the port of) Bergen op Zoom be protected, but control was also maintained over the Scheldt and the important shipping route from Middelburg to Dordrecht. In 1873, Bergen op Zoom no longer being a fortified town, Charles de Meulemeester established his oyster farm in the moats inside the fort. From Bergen op Zoom, oysters were exported to all major cities in Europe for decades. Lobsters were even still kept on the Waterschans until the 1990s.