| Herkingen | |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Native Name Lang: | nl |
| Pushpin Map: | Netherlands South Holland#Netherlands |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 250 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands##Location in the Netherlands |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Netherlands |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | South Holland |
| Subdivision Type2: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name2: | Goeree-Overflakkee |
| Elevation Footnotes: | [1] |
| Elevation M: | 0.8 |
| Area Total Km2: | 9.71 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 1,250 |
| 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: | 3249 |
| Area Code Type: | Dialing code |
| Area Code: | 0187 |
| Coordinates: | 51.71°N 4.0872°W |
Herkingen is a village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is located on the south coast of the island Goeree-Overflakkee, in the municipality of Goeree-Overflakkee.
Herkingen was first mentioned in 1420 or 1421 as "Herkinghe", and means "settlement of Herke (person)".[3] Herkingen is a dike village which developed after the Oud-Herkingen polder was created in 1483. In 1511, it was flooded and a new dike was constructed around the village in 1604.[4]
The Dutch Reformed church is a modest aisleless church parallel to the dike which was constructed in 1788.[4] The grist mill De Dankbaarheid was built in 1841. It was in service until 1960, and in 1966, it was used as a holiday home. It was restored in the 1990s, and operational in 2000. The windmill is frequently in service on a voluntary basis.[5]
Herkingen was home to 628 people in 1840.[6] Herkingen was severely damaged during the North Sea flood of 1953.[4]
Herkingen was a separate municipality between 1817 and 1966, when it merged with Dirksland. In 2013, it became part of the municipality of Goeree-Overflakkee.[6]
Herkingen lies on the south side of the island and borders the Grevelingenmeer, which is a saltwater lake that has been disconnected directly from the North Sea by the Brouwersdam, but still connects to the Oosterschelde which is saltwater. The Grevelingenmeer has quite a large size yachting marina and is a large water sports area with the main recreational areas on Schouwen-Duiveland. The town of Herkingen currently hosts several of the largest modern windmills in the country.