Meliskerke Explained

Meliskerke
Settlement Type:Village
Native Name Lang:nl
Image Map1:Map NL - Veere - Meliskerke.png
Map Caption1:The village centre (dark green) and the statistical district (light green) of Meliskerke in the municipality of Veere.-->
Pushpin Map:Netherlands Zeeland#Netherlands
Pushpin Label Position:left
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:0.9
Area Total Km2:8.08
Population Footnotes:[2]
Population Total:1,470
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:4365
Area Code Type:Dialing code
Area Code:0118
Coordinates:51.5153°N 3.5119°W

Meliskerke is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Veere, and lies about 8 km west of Middelburg.

History

The village was first mentioned in 1235 as "Hughenkerke que modo Meliskercke dicitur", and means "(private) church of Meinlof (person)".[3] Meliskerke is an incomplete circular church village which developed in the 12th century on a ridge.[4]

The Dutch Reformed church is a single-aisled church. The tower date dates from around 1400. The church was modified and partially rebuilt after damage between 1572 and 1574.[4] The tower is leaning slightly and has a displacement of 60 centimetres.[5]

The grist mill Meliskerke Molen was built in 1801. It was in use until 1954. In 1987, it was bought by the municipality and restored. It is usually in operation on Saturdays.[5]

Meliskerke was home to 307 people in 1840. Meliskerke was damaged during the inundation of 1944.[4]

Meliskerke was a separate municipality until 1966, when it was merged into the new municipality of Mariekerke. In 1997, it became part of the municipality of Veere.[6]

Politics

It is a conservative Protestant village, located on the Dutch Bible Belt. In the 2010 municipal elections, 63 percent of the local population voted for the Reformed Political Party (SGP). The three Christian parties in the elections (the Reformed Political Party, the ChristianUnion and the Christian Democratic Appeal) had a combined total of almost 70 percent of the votes.

Notable people

Fiction writer Franca Treur was born in Meliskerke.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Postcodetool for 4365AA . 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: Meliskerke - (geografische naam) . Etymologiebank . 22 April 2022 . nl.
  4. Book: Meliskerke . Piet van Cruyningen & Ronald Stenvert. 2003 . Waanders . Zwolle . 90 400 8830 6 . 22 April 2022 . nl.
  5. Web site: Meliskerke . Zalig Zeeland . 22 April 2022 . nl.
  6. Web site: Meliskerke . Plaatsengids . 22 April 2022 . nl.