Domburg (Nederland)

Geschiedenis

Domburg is a seaside resort on the North Sea, on the northwest coast of Walcheren in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Veere, and lies about 11 km northwest of the city of Middelburg, the provincial capital.DemographicsIn 2010, the town of Domburg had 1,490 inhabitants, up from 1,251 in 2001. The built-up area of the town was 0.78 km², and contained 881 residences.HistoryThe area of Domburg has been inhabited since ancient times. In 1647 after heavy storms on the beach of Domburg a sanctuary was discovered with around 40 stones with Latin inscriptions and carvings of several gods, among them of Neptune (sea) and Mercury (trade), but the majority of a local female deity: Nehalennia who appears to have protected both trade and shipping. According to the inscriptions the stones were erected by tradesmen and captains to fulfil their vows after a safe journey, mentioning explicitly on one stone a merchant of pottery doing business with Britain.From a later period (starting 650 AD) many coins have been found on the beach including Anglo-Saxon sceattas. The settlement on the exact present day location of Domburg however originates from a circular earthen citadel that was discovererd according to expectations by archaeologists in 1991 and which was dated to around 875 AD a period shortly after recorded raids by Danes.