Cycling between Sluis and Breskens

Get a breath of fresh air on the beach and enjoy the reclaimed land of Zeeland with this route. You pass through the old fortified town of Sluis, which was created when the Zwin nature reserve started to silt up. As a result, the direct connection with the trading city of Bruges was blocked and Sluis was given the opportunity to flourish further. Sluis became the most important port of Bruges and due to its strategic location, the city, which was granted city rights in 1290, became a fortified city in 1392. Three hundred years, and many battles later, Sluis became less important, but no battle was as devastating as the Allied bombing on October 11, 1944, which reduced Sluis to a smoking mess in which 61 residents died. After the Second World War the city was rebuilt in traditionalist style. The walls have remained intact and the small, cozy, historic center has been restored to its former glory. If you want to know more about the nature this route takes you through, you can take a look at the Zwin Visitor Center. With 75 hectares, this is not a huge nature reserve, but the small scale is cute and the openness that the Kievittepolder brings makes the area unique.