Visiting Zierikzee, Netherlands: Top Sights on Foot

Wondering what to see in Zierikzee? This historic town in Zeeland is known for its medieval city gates, landmark churches, former prison, traditional courtyard almshouses, and working windmill. Its compact center makes it especially rewarding to explore on foot, with the old harbor and fortified streets revealing the town’s long relationship with trade, defense, and the sea. Neywo offers a free audio guide for Zierikzee with 22 narrated places.

What to See in Zierikzee

The following sights bring together the most important historic places in Zierikzee, from its monumental gates to its churches and quieter heritage corners.

Noordhavenpoort

The Noordhavenpoort stands at the entrance to Zierikzee’s old harbor, opposite the Zuidhavenpoort. The present defensive complex took shape in the early sixteenth century after Albrecht van Saksen captured the town in 1492. Rather than a single gateway, it consists of an inner gate and an outer gate joined by a horseshoe-shaped wall with a covered walkway.

The gate also functioned as a water barrier, separating the tidal sea from the calmer harbor inside. On the harbor side, heavy white Gobertange and Ledestein were used for extra resistance to weather and cannon fire.

Zuidhavenpoort

The Zuidhavenpoort forms the southern counterpart to the Noordhavenpoort and is one of only three surviving city gates in Zierikzee. Its core dates from around 1325, when the town strengthened its defenses after several sieges.

The gate is built from large Zeeland bricks known as Zeeuwse moppen. Green glazed bricks create decorative patterns in the masonry, while four corner turrets allowed defenders to observe the walls and fire at attackers. Together, the two harbor gates show how closely Zierikzee’s defenses were tied to its waterfront.

Sint-Willibrorduskerk

The Sint-Willibrorduskerk on Hoge Molenstraat began in 1768 as a schuilkerk, or hidden church. At a time when Catholic worship was restricted, the congregation met behind a plain facade that looked more like a barn or large house than a place of worship.

The building was expanded in 1842 and given a neoclassical facade. Its slender roof turret and bell were added later, in 1931, giving the once-hidden church a more recognizable presence on the street.

Gravesteen

The Gravesteen is the oldest prison in Zeeland. The current building was completed between 1524 and 1526, replacing a courthouse that had stood on the site since 1358. Designed by Antwerp master builder Harman van Aecken, it served for centuries as a legal, financial, and administrative center for the Count of Holland and Zeeland.

The upper floor and attic were used as prison cells. Inscriptions carved by prisoners remain visible on the walls, including one dating from 1577. The building held Dunkirk privateers among its prisoners and remained in use as a prison until 1923. The last execution there took place in 1784.

Den Haas

The sails of Den Haas rise above the old fortification wall. This round tower mill has ground grain since 1727 and is covered in oak shingles. Its sails span nearly 24 meters.

A post mill stood on this part of the southern rampart around 1600, but it was demolished in 1723. Den Haas was later built as a more durable stone tower mill. After falling into disrepair, it was bought by the municipality in 1966 and restored between 1984 and 1987. It has operated as a working mill again since the restoration and is a national monument.

Sint-Lievensmonstertoren

Zierikzee’s most imposing landmark is the 62-meter Sint-Lievensmonstertoren, known locally as the Dikke Toren, or Fat Tower. It is the only surviving part of the great Sint-Lievenskerk, which was destroyed by fire in 1832.

Construction of the tower began in 1454 under the direction of Andries Keldermans, a master builder from Mechelen. Its foundation took about 25 years to lay, and the work was further delayed by a city fire in 1466. The base measures 16 by 16 meters, expanding to nearly 25 meters square with its buttresses—wider than the Domtower in Utrecht.

The tower was deliberately built separately from the church so that settlement cracks in its foundation would not damage the church walls. Its brickwork is faced with natural stone, including small white blocks of Brabant limestone from near Brussels.

Nobelpoort

The Nobelpoort is one of Zierikzee’s three remaining city gates and faces inland. For centuries, it was the principal entrance for people arriving from the landward side. The gates were closed every evening until 1866, and a drawbridge once crossed the moat here.

The gate rises 35 meters and has two brick towers flanking its central passage. The roof timbers date to around 1360 according to tree-ring analysis, while the stonework probably began between 1350 and 1360, during a period when Zierikzee was at its height.

A local legend attributes the slightly different towers to two sisters from the Nobel family. One sister was said to have walked with a limp, and the right-hand tower’s crooked spire is still visible today.

Nieuwe Kerk

Despite its name, the Nieuwe Kerk is a nineteenth-century building. It was built between 1835 and 1848 to replace the Sint-Lievensmonsterkerk after the 1832 fire. The surviving Sint-Lievensmonstertoren stands nearby.

The church was heavily damaged at the end of the Second World War. After its Dutch Reformed congregation could no longer afford the maintenance costs, it closed in 1971. The Foundation for Old Zeeland Churches acquired the building and supervised a phased restoration from 1978 to 1988. Inside, the organ built in 1847 by Kam & Van der Meulen is a notable example of Dutch organ-building from the period.

Gasthuiskerk

The Gasthuiskerk, also called the Kleine Kerk or Small Church, is a Protestant church with late Gothic origins. Its stonework still reflects the building’s medieval heritage.

Lutherse Kerk

The Lutherse Kerk is a simple Lutheran hall church in the center of Zierikzee. Its plain architecture reflects the modest character of the congregation. The Luther rose, the community’s emblem, represents the church’s Lutheran identity, and the building is protected as a national monument.

Sint Anthonieshofje and Burgerweeshuis

Sint Anthonieshofje is a protected heritage monument and an example of a Dutch hofje: a courtyard of small homes traditionally intended for older people or those in need. Its quiet courtyard offers a more intimate view of the town’s social history.

Nearby, the Burgerweeshuis is the former city orphanage on Poststraat. It is also a protected national monument and served for generations as a home for orphaned children in Zierikzee.

Zuidwellebrug and Wolwelle

The Zuidwellebrug carries the road across the water and forms part of the town’s relationship with its canals and waterways. The historic Wolwelle is another heritage building in Zierikzee, on the island of Schouwen-Duiveland.

For more Zeeland discoveries, consider extending your trip to Vlissingen, Hulst, or Breskens.

Explore Zierikzee with Neywo

Neywo’s free Zierikzee audio guide includes 2 walking tours and 22 narrated places in total:

• Gates, Giants and Windmills: Zierikzee, the Walled Harbour Town — 2.64 km, 112 minutes, and 9 narrated stops.
• Churches, Almshouses and a Templar House: Zierikzee’s Old Heart — 1.68 km, 107 minutes, and 10 narrated stops.

The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages, making Neywo a practical Zierikzee self-guided walking tour for discovering the town’s gates, churches, monuments, and historic streets.