Biggekerke Explained

Biggekerke
Settlement Type:Village
Native Name Lang:nl
Image Map1:Map NL - Veere - Biggekerke.png
Map Caption1:The town centre (dark green) and the statistical district (light green) of Biggekerke in the municipality of Veere.-->
Pushpin Map:Netherlands Zeeland#Netherlands
Pushpin Label Position:right
Pushpin Mapsize:250
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Netherlands
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Zeeland
Subdivision Type2:Municipality
Subdivision Name2:Veere
Elevation Footnotes:[1]
Elevation M:2.9
Area Total Km2:21.34
Population Footnotes:[2]
Population Total:1,550
Population As Of:2021
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone:CET
Utc Offset:+1
Timezone Dst:CEST
Utc Offset Dst:+2
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:4521
Area Code Type:Dialing code
Area Code:0115
Coordinates:51.4983°N 3.5253°W

Biggekerke is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Veere, and lies about 6 km northwest of Vlissingen.

History

The village was first mentioned in 1231 as Bigghenkerka, and means "(private) church of Biggo (person)".[3] Biggekerke is a circular church village.[4] It used to be a heerlijkheid and had a castle. The castle was destroyed in 1433 by Middelburg as ordered by Philip the Good.

The Dutch Reformed church is a single aisled church. The tower dates from around 1400. The nave was probably constructed in the 17th century.[4] The grist mill Brassers Molen was built in 1712 by the city of Vlissingen and leased for seven year periods. The wind mill has remained in service throughout its existence, but was restored multiple time.[5]

Biggekerke was home to 467 people in 1840. In 1943, the Widerstandsnest Carmen was built in the dunes near Biggekerke as part of the Atlantic Wall. It was captured by the Allies in 1944. The village was bombarded on 17 September 1944 which resulted in the death of 45 citizens.[4]

Biggekerke used to a separate municipality until 1966 when it was merged into Valkenisse. In 1997, it became part of Veere.[6]

References

  1. Web site: Postcodetool for 4521AA . nl . Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland . Het Waterschapshuis . 22 April 2022 .
  2. Web site: Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2021 . Central Bureau of Statistics . 22 April 2022.
  3. Web site: Biggekerke – (geografische naam) . Etymologiebank . 22 April 2022 . nl.
  4. Book: Biggekerke . Piet van Cruyningen & Ronald Stenvert. 2003 . Waanders . Zwolle . 90 400 8830 6 . 22 April 2022 . nl.
  5. Web site: Brassers Molen . Molendatabase . 22 April 2022 . nl.
  6. Web site: Biggekerke . Plaatsengids . 22 April 2022 . nl.