Hansweert

Hansweert is a village of the commune Dutchwoman of Reimerswaal in Zealand.

Hansweert was formerly a characteristic, flourishing and prosperous village along the the Western Scheldt.

The Canal of Zuid-Beveland crossed the village in its center, it dividing in two parts, Western and Eastern, and locks were in Hansweert even.

There was an intense navigation, but that changed since the opening of the Canal of the Scheldt in the Rhine a little more in the east. The refitting of the channel of Zuid-Beveland and the construction of new locks at another place gave a mortal blow to the activity of the village. The oriental party of the village (Hansweert-Oost) was even completely shaven to build in the place an outer harbor there.

Intense navigation brought much activity. The channel and the locks required much work, the boatmen made their provisions at the village and of the sailing merchants were very active along the locks. In the surroundings, few villages had as many trade then. The number of bakers, butchers and coffees was considerable for this relatively small village. For this reason, Hansweert was called Klein Antwerpen (“Small Antwerp”).

Previously, there was also in Hansweert a quay from where the vats ensured the connection with Walsoorden, in Flanders zélandaise. In 1943, this service was moved towards the new port of Kruiningen created at this time, the quay on the side of the Flanders zélandaise being then moved to Perkpolder. The line of Kruiningen-Perkpolder vats was also stopped at the time of the startup of the Tunnel of the Western Scheldt in 2003. Since the summer 2005, a seasonal service of vats for the cyclists and the pedestrians makes the shuttle several times per day between Perkpolder and Hansweert.

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