| Zierikzee | |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Native Name Lang: | nl |
| Image Map1: | Map NL - Schouwen-Duiveland - Zierikzee.png |
| Map Caption1: | The town centre (dark green) and the statistical district (light green) of Zierikzee in the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland. |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the Netherlands |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Netherlands |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Zeeland |
| Subdivision Type2: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name2: | Schouwen-Duiveland |
| Coordinates: | 51.6497°N 3.9164°W |
| Population Total: | 11460 |
| Population As Of: | 5-1-2020 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | CET |
| Utc Offset: | +1 |
| Timezone Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 4301 |
| Area Code Type: | Dialing code |
| Area Code: | 0111 |
Zierikzee (in Dutch; Flemish pronounced as /ˈziːrɪkseː/) is a small city in the southwest Netherlands, 50 km southwest of Rotterdam. It is situated in the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland, Zeeland. The city hall of Schouwen-Duiveland is located in Zierikzee, its largest city. Zierikzee is connected to Oosterschelde through a canal.
In 2001, the town of Zierikzee had 10,313 inhabitants. The built-up area of the town was 3.0 km2, and contained 4,295 residences.[1] The statistical area "Zierikzee", which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 10,730.[2]
Zierikzee, then located on the island of Schouwen, received city rights in 1248. In 1304, a fleet commissioned by the French and Dutch defeated a Flemish fleet in the naval Battle of Zierikzee.
On 30 April 1917, a lost British pilot of the Royal Naval Air Service mistakenly entered the airspace of the Netherlands, then neutral in World War I, and dropped eight bombs on Zierikzee - damaging several houses and killing a family of three. After initially denying the incident, the British government apologized and agreed to compensate the Dutch for damage and loss of life.[3]
In 1953, Zierikzee was damaged by the catastrophic North Sea flood of 1953. The English town of Hatfield sent help and a friendship has developed. The two towns have been twinned. In 1997 the municipality of Zierikzee merged into that of Schouwen-Duiveland.
In 2015, the last surviving example of the city's defensive cannons; cast in 1552, was donated to the city by the British coastguard. The coastguard had recovered it from a commercial diver, during a criminal investigation. The diver had found it off the Kent coast.[4]
On 27 June 2022, a tornado estimated at between F1 and F2 struck the city, killing one person and injuring nine others.[5] Three hundred properties were damaged.[6] [7]