The center of Bergen op Zoom and the Binnenschelde

Bergen op Zoom's name can be found on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris as one of the conquered cities of the French Empire. Bergen op Zoom was built on a sand ridge in a peat area that was mined in the thirteenth century. Initially the Lord of Breda governed the town, but between 1198 and 1212 Bergen op Zoom was given city rights. It is not possible to determine exactly in which year this historical fact took place, because the city archives were lost in a major city fire in 1397. This fire was so intense that almost the entire city went up in flames. The Binnenschelde is a recreational lake in Bergen op Zoom where you can swim, canoe, windsurf, etc. Moving motorized vessels is prohibited here. The lake takes its name from the Oosterschelde, which used to reach as far as Bergen op Zoom, but now finds its east coast a little further west due to the construction of first the Markiezaatskade and then the Oesterdam.