Middelburg, Zeeland VOC home base

The VOC in her second homebase

The three main buildings of the VOC chamber Zeeland in Middelburg are displayed on this single plate:

• the top left: the warehouses or “D’Oostindische Pakhuysen tot Middelburgh”.
• top right: the main office building or “D’Oostindische Kamer tot Middelburgh” . Zeeland represented approximately 25% of the VOC. In each cycle of eight years the Zeeland Chamber headquartered the entire VOC headquarters. This means that the meetings of the general council (De Heeren XVII) took place in Middelburg. The Chamber was officially called “Zeeland” (and not Middelburg Chamber), because the merchants of Veere held a 25% interest in the (Zeeland) Chamber. In this building the sailors were also recruited and paid.  During the 1940 German bombing complex (as then already rebuilt) was totally destroyed and, unfortunately never rebuilt.
• down the yard or “D’Oostindische Werf”: unfortunately, also gone and replaced by a set of boring and uninspiring buildings. The dock is still there.

Around the corner of the shipyard is still the house of the upper-provisions master. He was responsible for  the construction and equipment of ships.

Ships of the Zeeland Chamber of the VOC (un)loaded from Rammekens. This fortress breaths history including Napoleon, German defenses during WWII and the North Sea flood of 1953. The fortress (which is difficult to find) is open to the public and worth a visit.