Hulst


Hulst is a municipality and city in southwestern Netherlands in the east of Zeelandic Flanders.

History

Hulst received city rights in the 12th century.
Hulst was captured from the Spanish in 1591 by Maurice of Orange but was recaptured by Archduke Albert in 1596.
In 1640, the Dutch forces tried to conquer the city, but they were defeated in battle by the Spanish Army under Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand, and Frederick Henry was forced to retreat.
In 1645, the Siege of Hulst occurred. It was led by Prince of Orange Frederick Henry, during the Eighty Years' War with Spain.
In 1702 Vauban attacked the town, but failled to capture it, which makes it the only fortress to successfully resist that great engineer. In 1747 it was taken by the French after incompetent defence by Lt. General Pieter de la Rocque.
In the seventeenth century, a star fort was constructed.
The fortifications, constructed during that time, are historic examples of Dutch fortress architecture.
The name Hulst would appear to come from the shape of the battlements. Holly is depicted growing around the towns crest.

Geography

Hulst is located at in the south of the province of Zeeland in the southwest of the Netherlands. It is situated in the east of the region Zeelandic Flanders, which is connected by land only to Belgium, on the Dutch-Belgian border.
Hulst is neighbouring the municipalities of Terneuzen in the west, Stekene and Sint-Gillis-Waas in the south, Beveren in the east, and Reimerswaal in the north. The river Western Scheldt separates the land of Reimerswaal and Hulst.
The Drowned Land of Saeftinghe is a natural reserve in the north of the municipality. Its name refers to the Saeftinghe legend.
The population centers in the municipality are:

Government

The mayor of Hulst is Ilona Jense-van Haarst of the VVD. The former mayor is Jan-Frans Mulder of the Christian Democratic Appeal.

Culture

Since June 2018, the city has its own letter artwork. This work of art can be seen in turns at various locations in the municipality. The underlying idea is that the h at the beginning of a word is not pronounced in the Zeelandic / East Flemish dialect. By combining the letters n and h you can read the text in ulst in addition to i hulst. Under this concept in ulst, a campaign for and branding of the city of Hulst was launched simultaneously.
''Letter artwork for the city of Hulst''

International relations

Hulst is twinned with

Notable people