Zoutelande

Zoutelande (Zeelandic: Zóetelande) is a village in the southwestern Netherlands. It is located in the municipality of Veere, Zeeland, between Dishoek and Westkapelle on the former island Walcheren. On 1 January 2005 it had 1,556 inhabitants. Originally, Zoutelande was mainly an agricultural village. The village's character changed slowly into a tourist resort as the demand for beach recreation rose from about the middle of the 19th century. Zoutelande was a separate municipality until 1966, when it became a part of the new municipality Valkenisse. Nowadays, tourism is Zoutelande's most important source of existence. Zoutelande, together with the beach of Dishoek and Westkapelle, are often called "Zeeland's Rivièra", after the famous south-coast of France. It is one of Zeeland's most-visited coasts, and one of the few places in the Netherlands where the beach faces south. Plenty of rooms, studios, bungalows and apartments are available to thousands of visitors every summer; most of the tourists are of German origin, although other nationalities are also widely represented. The remaining agriculture in the area benefits of the demand for accommodation in the form of mini-campings. Bicycle-rental, beachfront establishments, hotels, B&Bs, shops and a boulevard are all to be found in and around the village. Like Domburg, Zoutelande was a favorite among Dutch painters, like Ferdinand Hart Nibbrig, Piet Mondriaan and Jan Toorop who praised its sky. It is said that the reflection of the sun on the water colors the sky more brilliantly and transparently than anywhere else. Zoutelande was the subject of a 2017 song of the same name by Dutch rock band BLØF featuring Belgian singer Geike Arnaert; the song's popularity brought some increased interest in the village.