Tour of Schouwen-Duiveland

This cycle route takes you along ramparts, gates and historic monuments in and around Zierikzee and lets you breathe in the atmosphere of the island of Schouwen-Duiveland. Zierikzee is a city with a rich history and is known as a monument city. Zierikzee has a large number of monuments for a relatively small city. The most famous monument is the St. Lievens Monstertoren, which is popularly known as the Fat Tower. Near junction 08 you will see the Den Haas windmill. The facing stone has an image of a hare. Grain is ground on a voluntary basis in this tower mill. From Zierikzee you cycle via Ouwerkerk towards Nieuwerkerk. Nieuwerkerk is a church village, founded in the 12th century, and is part of the Zeeland municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland. The Protestant church has a striking hexagonal tower, somewhat comparable to the octagonal tower of Kruiningen. We also find a mill here. As far as is known, this mill has never had a name. Can only be visited by appointment. The route continues through the polder landscape and takes you to Oosterland. Here you can take a side step after junction 63 to windmill Oosterland. As far as is known, this mill has also never had a name and can only be viewed by appointment. We continue our way to Sirjansland. Sirjansland was created as a polder in 1305 after part of the Dreischor polder was lost seventeen years earlier due to a storm surge. The dike maker was Jan van Beaumont, and the new polder's-Heer Jans land was named after him. In the early days, the polder was also called Klein-Dreischor. Just before the town of Dreischor we see windmill Aeolus. The mill has had this name since ancient times. However, for a long time he had the name De Koekoek. In the 1960s, the original name was restored. You cycle back along the vast waters of the Oosterschelde to the start and end point of the route in Zierikzee.