Holiday apartment in Sint-Annaland: village history, harbour and trails

Sint-Annaland combines village history, a waterscape and special excursions within a compact thematic area. The ring village was established in 1476. Its marina is a tidal harbour on the Krabbenkreek, an inlet of the Oosterschelde. A small beach lies next to the harbour facilities and is used for swimming in the Oosterschelde. This means that Sint-Annaland offers starting points for choosing a holiday apartment, whether you are particularly interested in history, guided discoveries or days by the water.

Ring village with church and mill history

The present-day church of Sint-Annaland stands within the ring. It dates from 1899 and was built on the site of an earlier Gothic cruciform church from 1494. Several windmills are also part of the village’s distinctive history: the wooden post mill dates from 1684/85, while the stone Dutch smock mill De Vier Winden was built in 1847. The post mill of Sint-Annaland belongs to the oldest type of windmill in the region.

The houses on the Voorstraat also tell stories from different eras. The Voorstraat is Sint-Annaland’s main shopping street. The Nonnetjeshuis is a stepped-gable house from the 17th century and is associated with three sisters who lived in seclusion. Voorstraat 38 has a well-preserved, intact and richly detailed stepped gable from the first half of the 17th century. “Nooit Gedacht” is a yellow brick residential house with a stepped gable and corner markings bearing the year 1662. “Klein Muiterij” has a high tiled gable roof; the year “1646” may have been painted in red bricks on its gable façade.

De Meestoof and special village experiences

The regional museum De Meestoof provides an overview of the former life and culture of the islands of Tholen and Sint-Philipsland and pays particular attention to madder. It is housed in the former town hall of Sint-Annaland, which was built in the Bierensstraat in 1940 and has been used by the museum since 1973. The museum grounds also contain a fully furnished Norwegian flood-disaster house, which was donated to the Netherlands to support reconstruction after the 1953 flood disaster. De Meestoof’s escape room can be booked year-round.

The guided tour “Beleef & Proef Sint-Annaland” leads through the village. A local guide shows you places of interest and tells special stories. The tour also includes tasting typical delicacies from the village or region, as well as a visit to Zeeland’s oldest windmill. A different perspective is offered by the guided “Laarzentocht” excursion: it leads through the creeks, across the salt marsh and over the mudflats of the Schorren van Sint-Annaland.

Harbour, salt marshes and trails by the water

The Schorren van St. Annaland are among the natural sub-areas managed by Staatsbosbeheer on Tholen. For a walk through the village and along the water, the “Ommetje Sint-Annaland” circular route leads from the harbour facilities via the Voorstraat to the church and along the marina facilities on the Krabbekreek. Water sports enthusiasts will find the Sint-Annaland dive site in the middle of the Krabbenkreek. The tidal current there can be so strong that experience is required. The dive site is located directly outside the harbour; the water can be entered using a rope or a diver’s ladder.

These different aspects of Sint-Annaland may determine your choice of holiday apartment: historic buildings and the museum for culture-focused days, guided tours for shared discoveries, and the harbour, beach, salt marshes and waterways for a stay focused more strongly on nature or activities. The holiday apartment or holiday home should therefore match the focus you want to set for your time in Sint-Annaland.

Other places in the destination area

If you would like to extend your travel plans to include other places, here are the direct destinations: Scherpenisse, Sint Maartensdijk, Stavenisse, Tholen, Sint Philipsland and Poortvliet.

Back to the higher-level travel overview: Tholen.