Newland sea slate area

The southwestern sea valley area covers a large part of Zeeland and the South Holland islands. It is classified chronologically in old and new land. The new country includes the eastern part of Schouwen-Duiveland, the northern part of Tholen, St. Philipsland, a small part of Walcheren, North Beveland, the western and eastern parts of South Beveland, and most of Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen. From the middle of the 13rd century, dikes were no longer built so much to defend existing land, but also to gain “new” land. Washing up are plates or aprons that arise in the middle of the water under the influence of the tidal action. Washing up are slibbing against already embanked land. In Nieuwlandpolders there are often remains of creeks, which were closed from the outside water at the dike. The Newland Polders are more sludged and less riveted than the Old Land Polders and are therefore relatively high in the landscape. The soil structure is much more uniform than that of the Oudlandpolders. The habitation in the New Land Polders was not tied to certain high-lying parts; the polders were flat and had good natural drainage. As a result, a large part of the country could also be used for arable farming (e.g. grain, flax, potatoes and sugar beet) and fruit cultivation. Only the lowest parts along the creeks were used as grassland. The arrangement of the polder is usually rational: a rectangular, relatively large-scale plotting with straight roads. The farms were built in the polders, the newly founded settlements concentrated along the roads and dikes (road and dike villages). From the 15th century, front street villages were built. Several polders have been flooded several times. Major floods have been the storm surges of 1134, 1248, 1375, 1421 (Second Elisabeth Flood), 1530/32 (North Beveland and South Beveland), 1570 (Land of Saeftinghe) and 1953. Welen and creeks indicate in the current landscape where the dikes have broken through. In response to the floods, inlay dikes were built. The inlay dike was laid in places where the existing dike threatened to break through. The area between this dike and the old seawall is called inlay. Inlays mainly occur where a deep stream channel walked right along the dike and where the subsoil was weak (young sea sand). To strengthen dikes, clay was often excavated from the layers and thus elongated pees were created, separated by dams. Since this clay was drained with carts, these areas are called cart fields. In the 19th century, the landscape of the Newland Polders was influenced locally by the construction of railways, canals and dams, later followed the inundation of 1953 and the large-scale reparations.