Oosterland: History, Churches and Nature

Oosterland Between History and Nature

Oosterland is ideal for holidays in which historic buildings, sacred architecture and nature observation form a shared theme. A striking example is the Gasthuis: the former poorhouse is an elongated building dating from 1754 and features a semicircular, ornamentally decorated gable. As a poorhouse, it offered free accommodation to fourteen families. The Gasthuis thus combines a view of architecture with the history of social care in Oosterland. The gable creates its own architectural accent alongside the building’s former social function.

Castles, Churches and Striking Buildings

The grounds of Oostersteyn contain the foundations of a 15th-century castle. Weekly church services and various activities take place in the listed Jodocuskerk. The tower of the Sint-Judocuskerk dates from around 1400 and has a gabled roof. For days focused on culture, this creates a succession of castle foundations, religious use and historic architecture.

Molen Oosterland is a grain mill and was built in 1752 to replace an earlier post mill. At the same time, it is a round, stone-built Dutch windmill of the ground-sail type. A water basin created in 1752 is located on the north side; at the time, it was established for the population and as a supply of firefighting water. Its round, stone construction distinguishes it from the earlier post mill.

Nature Observation around the Natuurtoren

The landscape takes on a different character at the Natuurtoren van Oosterland on Hoge Maireweg. The restored former electricity tower was converted into a fauna tower and equipped for various animal species. These include sparrows, swallows, bats, owls, hedgehogs, shrews and insects. For those interested in nature, the appeal lies here in an unusually direct connection with the animal world. The structural conversion shifts the focus from the former electricity supply to wildlife.

The area around the Natuurtoren includes a widened ditch and a woven hedge. The ditch and woven hedge complement the tower with visible landscape elements. South of Oosterland, remains of the Marevliet tidal creek are still visible in the nature area now known as De Geule.

Cycling Routes and Day Planning

There are also two clearly defined options for planning a cycling trip. The 30 km route „Monumentaal Fietsen Duiveland“ passes through Oosterland on the return journey to Nieuwerkerk. It is also possible to plan a cycling tour from Oosterland to Zonnemaire using numbered junctions and the Fietsrouteplanner. For Nieuwerkerk, the fixed route length is the key point; for Zonnemaire, it is the planning via numbered junctions and the Fietsrouteplanner.

When planning your day in Oosterland, you can therefore choose according to your preferred rhythm: historic buildings and religious sites, nature observation at the fauna tower and in the De Geule area, or a cycling plan using the 30-kilometre route to Nieuwerkerk and numbered junctions and the Fietsrouteplanner to Zonnemaire.

Discover More Places

For further travel planning: Scharendijke, Zierikzee, Westenschouwen, Renesse, Ouwerkerk, Brouwershaven.

For the main travel overview: Schouwen-Duiveland.