Oostburg

The Sophia Polder is a polder to the south of Oostburg, Netherlands. It is one of a group of polders in the Ottevaere en Van Damme polder complex. A refuge for water birds, it has been a designated nature reserve since 2006.

Zuidzande is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is located in the municipality of Sluis.

Nieuwvliet is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is located about 5 km north of Oostburg, in the municipality of Sluis The village was first mentioned in 1514 as Nieuvliet. "Vliet" means stream. Nieuw (new) was added to distinguish from another vliet, however there are multiple candidates. The current village developed after the Groote Sint Annapolder was poldered in 1602.Around 1650, the polder contained two hamlets: Nieuwvliet and Sinte Pier. Nieuwvliet was home to Dutch Reformed, and Sint Pier to Mennonites. The Mennonites built a church in 1656, and the Dutch Reformed followed in 1658. Most of the Mennonites left, and the congregation of Sinte Pier was dissolved in 1777. The Dutch Reformed church was damaged during World War II and restored in 1949.Nieuwvliet was home to 830 people in 1840. It was a separate municipality until 1970, when it was merged with Oostburg. In 2003, it became part of the municipality of Sluis.Nieuwvliet-Bad is a seaside resort near Nieuwvliet. It has a very wide beach, and contains bungalow parks, campsites and recreational areas.

Sint Kruis is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is located about 4 km east of Aardenburg, in the municipality of Sluis. The village was first mentioned in 1270 as "jndie prochia van sint crues", and refers to the Holy Cross parish of the Saint Bavo's Abbey in Ghent.The Dutch Reformed church is a three-aisled church which probably dates from the 14th century. The area around Sint Kruis was inundated in 1584 to thwart the progress of the Spanish Army. The land was drained in 1651, and the church was restored in 1652. In 1944, it was damaged by war, and restored between 1948 and 1949.Sint Kruis was home to 613 people in 1840. It was a separate municipality until 1941, when it was merged with Aardenburg. In 2003, it became part of the municipality of Sluis.

Groede (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɣrudə]) is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is located about 5 km north of Oostburg in the municipality of Sluis.

Waterlandkerkje is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is located in the municipality of Sluis. The village was first mentioned in 1740 as "de Kerk op Waterland, en doorgaans Nieuw of Klein Kerkje geheeten", and means "little church of Waterland". Waterland was a region which was flooded in 1375. The church was established around 1670 by Protestants who went to church in Waterland-Oudeman in the Spanish Netherlands (nowadays: Belgium), but who were removed by force by the Catholics. The church originally stood in Waterland-Oudeman but was moved across the border. The church burned down in 1708, and was rebuilt in 1713.Waterlandkerkje was a separate municipality until 1970, when it was merged with Oostburg. In 2003, it became part of the municipality of Sluis.

Schoondijke is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is located in the municipality of Sluis, about 5 km south of Breskens.

The Saint Bavo Church (Dutch: Sint-Bavokerk, Sint-Baafskerk) is a Dutch Reformed church building in Aardenburg, Netherlands.The church was founded in 959 by monks of the Saint Bavo's Abbey in Ghent. Due to a rise in population this small church was replaced by a Romanesque church which burned down in 1202. In 1220 the current tower, nave and transept were built. During the 14th century the choir was extended. During the Eighty Years' War the church was damaged. It was subsequently restored in 1646, which is also mentioned on the building. In World War II, the church again suffered major destructions. The reconstruction took almost a decade, from 1947 to 1956. The church and tower were separately listed as a rijksmonument on 12 February 1974, making it a national heritage site of the Netherlands. The church is recognized as part of the Top 100 Dutch heritage sites. The church is dedicated to Bavo of Ghent.

Aardenburg is a small city close to the Dutch border with Belgium. It is part of the Sluis Municipality, located in the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands. Its medieval name was Rodenburgh (Red Castle). In the Sint-Baafskerk, (Saint Bavo's Church), Aardenburg houses the most complete example of the Scheldegotiek, the characteristic Gothic architecture of the Scheldt. It is also still possible today to see remains of some of the fortifications that used to enclose the city.

Sint-Laureins (Dutch pronunciation: [sɪnt lʌu̯ˈrɛi̯ns]; Dutch for Saint Lawrence) is a municipality located in the Flemish province of East Flanders, in Belgium. The municipality comprises the towns of Sint-Jan-in-Eremo, Sint-Laureins proper, Sint-Margriete, Waterland-Oudeman and Watervliet. In 2021, Sint-Laureins had a total population of 6,919. The total area is 74.50 km².The Our Lady-Church in Watervliet, built in the 16th century, is called the 'Cathedral of the North'.

Wulpen was once an isle in the estuary of the Western Scheldt, between the island of Walcheren and the western part of Zeelandic Flanders. It was flooded and submerged by the major storm surge of 1404. At its peak, the island had four villages and the city Waterdunen that had economic relations with the cities of Bruges and Sluis. Because of the silting up of the Zwin (the only water passage to Bruges) after the storm surge of 1404, the prosperity of the city decreased. On the other hand the flooding opened the Westerscheldt as a seaway to Antwerp.

Turkeye is a hamlet of Sluis, a municipality located in the west of Zeelandic Flanders, in the south-western part of the Netherlands. Even though the village is regular village in the province of Zeeland, the name Turkeye is probably an old spelling for Modern Dutch Turkije (English: Turkey, Türkiye in Turkish). The name supposedly derives from relations between the Ottoman Turks and the Netherlands. The name of the road to this village is Turkijeweg which means Turkey Road in Dutch. The town has 19 inhabitants. The largest part of the houses in the hamlet serves as a holiday home. The hamlet of Turkeye was part of the municipality of Waterlandkerkje from 1796 to 1970. In 1970 this municipality merged with the municipality of Oostburg, which in turn was merged into the municipality of Sluis. The history of Turkeye starts after the conquest of Sluis in 1604 by the State army. The defeated Spanish troops withdrew and left 1500 galley slaves, among whom a large number of Muslims from the Ottoman Empire, referred to in short as Turcken. The States-General decided to release these slaves and to send the Turks back to their homeland. So they hoped to acquire the support of the Ottoman Empire in the fight against Spain. However, the so-called Flemish Turks have once again been enslaved in Marseille and have not been able to reach the Ottoman Empire. Prince Maurits may have attached the name Turkeye as an extra tribute to the Schans Turkeye, which was constructed in the same year 1604 and to which the nearby hamlet would later be named.A bond has grown between the neighbourhood Turkeye and the Turkish community in the Netherlands and Turkey. A few inhabitants of the hamlet are involved, as well as the Stichting Vriendschapsband Nederland-Turkije. There are regular visits by Turkish delegations and dignitaries such as diplomats. There are also place name signs Turkeye, gem. Sluis placed in the Turkish cities of Dalaman and Trabzon, where many Dutch tourists come. In 2012 it was celebrated that there are 400 years of diplomatic relations between Turkey and the Netherlands: In 1612 the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands was recognized by the Ottoman Empire.