Hulst

During the Middle Ages, Hulst was part of the County of Flanders, which was part of the Kingdom of France. During the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648 - essentially the Dutch War of Independence from Spain), Hulst was on the frontline between Spanish and republican Dutch forces. It was repeatedly conquered and reconquered by both sides, until it finally came under control of the Dutch Republic. Its strategic importance was great, because whoever controlled Hulst also controlled access from the sea to the port of Antwerp. All this explains why the city was turned into such an immense fortified military bulwark. The military frontline between Spanish and Dutch troops running immediately south of Hulst eventually solidified into the border between the Southern (Spanish) Netherlands and the independent Dutch Republic. After 1830, when the Southern Netherlands gained their independence as the new country Belgium, the old frontline became the Belgian-Dutch border.

In the 1950s, Hulst became a magnet for Belgians, who came there to park their black money in Dutch banks (NL had bank secrecy at that time) and to buy things which were cheaper in the Netherlands. Butter was a classic example, as it was way cheaper in the Netherlands than in Belgium and a lucrative source of income for many people living near the border. The butter smuggle across the border was legendary, often via small trails through the forest (these trails have proven to be very useful once again during the 2020 Corona lockdown border closure, to cross the border without running into police checkpoints). Now in the EU context, smuggling has disappeared (or simply been renamed 'cross-border shopping'), but the local economy (shops, bars, restaurants) in Hulst continues to thrive on visitors from Belgium.

The nearest airport is Brussels. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is considerably further and harder to reach, but might have better connections.

Highways connect Hulst with the North Sea Coast in Western Zeelandic Flanders (Cadzand, Breskens) and, through the Western Scheldt Tunnel (subject to toll), with Middelburg (the provincial capital of Zeeland) and the rest of Zeeland across the Westerschelde. From Amsterdam, Rotterdam or other major Dutch cities, it is faster and cheaper (toll-free) to drive via Belgium (Antwerp). A highway connects Hulst with Sint-Niklaas, crossing the E34 motorway right after the Belgian border (connecting to Antwerp, Brussels and Ghent) and reaching the E17 motorway in Sint-Niklaas.

Buses connect Hulst with other towns in Zeelandic Flanders. Flemish transport company De Lijn operates a bus line between Sint-Niklaas and Hulst. Dutch transport company Connexxion operates a line to Breda via Antwerp, with railway connections available in both places.

Hulst used to have a railway station, on the line between Sint-Niklaas and Terneuzen, but passenger traffic was discontinued in the 1950s. The nearest railway station is now in Sint-Niklaas.

Parallel to the highways, excellent bicycle lanes connect Hulst to the rest of Zeelandic Flanders. To get there from the rest of Zeeland, use the bicycle and pedestrian ferry between Breskens and Vlissingen. The most scenic route from Hulst to the North Sea runs right along the Westerschelde once past the port of Terneuzen.

The track bed of the former railway line from Sint-Niklaas was transformed into a bicycle path. It cuts 13.5 km through the landscape in a very straight line, leading through the forests around the border and the beautiful Waas countryside before reaching Sint-Niklaas railway station, where it connects to the F4 cycling superhighway Antwerp-Ghent. The starting point of the railway bike trail in Hulst is not indicated (bike signs to Sint-Niklaas will direct you to the busy and ugly main highway), but it starts immediately south of the city moat, at the Van der Maelstedeweg, right next to the police office.

1 De Stadswallen (the city's ramparts) (3.5 km around the city). The ramparts, and their moat, surround the old city centre completely. The old town can only be accessed from outside through one of the three city gates. Some parts of the ramparts have impressive bastions with cannons. On the northern side of town, the city wind mill stands proudly on top of the ramparts. A walking trail runs on top around the whole town. Most of the bastions have little parks on top. When walking on top of the ramparts, you have nice views over the old town on the one side and the city moat and surrounding countryside on the other. (updated Aug 2020)

2 Gentse Poort (Ghent gate), Stationsweg 6. Open 24/7. The main entrance gate to the city, on the southern side. Gentsestraat (Ghent Street), leading from the Gentse Poort to the Grote Markt, is the city's main shopping street. Both the Gentse Poort and Gentsestraat refer to Ghent, which was the capital of Flanders, to which Hulst once belonged. (updated Aug 2020)

3 Grote Markt. The main square, home to the city hall and the main church. (updated Aug 2020)

4 Sint-Willibrordusbasiliek (Saint-Willibrord Basilica), Steenstraat 2, ☏ +31 114313228. The city's main church. Was voted to be the most beautiful church in the Netherlands in 2009. It is a Catholic church with beautiful interior. The church tower spire is very peculiar, because the top was shot off during World War II by Polish liberators, as it was used by the German military as a lookout (apparently, the strategic view over Eastern Zeelandic Flanders was tremendous). They even painted Nazi graffiti texts and a swastika on the walls and the church bell, which supposedly are still visible today. After the war, a new spire was erected on top of the tower, in a very different style: while the church and most of the tower itself are in Gothic style, the top is an interesting concrete construction in a more modern style. The church tower dominates the city's skyline and can be seen from far outside of the old town. (updated Aug 2020)

5 De Stadsmolen (the city windmill) (on top of the northern part of the ramparts), ☏ +31 114315221. Sundays 12:00-17:00. Old mill built in 1792. (updated Aug 2020)

6 Museum Hulst, Steenstraat 28, ☏ +31 114320692. Daily, 14:00 - 17:00. Informative exhibition about the local history of Hulst. The tower has beautiful views. Free. (updated Aug 2020)

Bierkaai. The former harbour, which has been restored, bringing water back into the city.

7 Oud Hulst (the former railway station) (500 m outside the Gentse Poort). It was the city's station on the Sint-Niklaas - Terneuzen rail line. Nowadays, it is a bar and restaurant. On its outer walls, bilingual signs in Dutch and French can still be seen. (updated Aug 2020)

8 De Klinge (the Belgian border) (4 km south of Hulst). If by bicycle, best (and fastest) to be reached via the former railway bike path. Clinge/De Klinge is basically a village divided by the border into a Dutch (Clinge) and a Belgian (De Klinge) part. The village main street runs from north to south, abruptly changing countries with the border running in between houses. Next to the place where the former railway bike trail crosses the border, there is a replica of the Dodendraad (Wire of Death), a lethal electric fence erected by the German military to seal off the Dutch–Belgian border after the occupation of Belgium during the First World War. A bit further into Belgium (100 m) and next to De Klinge's disused railway station (there is an old steam engine on a stretch of track still remaining), there is a pub called 'De Oude Statie' ('The Old Station') where one can refresh with a delicious draught Bolleke Koninck, Antwerp's most famous beer. 1 km further west, on the main highway from Hulst into Belgium, there is a peculiar historic border marker standing on the roundabout: de Provinciale Grenspaal. It is much taller than the regular border markers and marks the boundaries between the provinces of Oost-Vlaanderen (East Flanders) and Zeeland. It is beautifully ornamented with golden inscriptions on each side stating the names of both provinces. (updated Aug 2020)

9 Nieuw-Namen (6 km to the east of Clinge). Another village divided by the border. The Dutch part (Nieuw-Namen) is much smaller than the Belgian part (Kieldrecht). The windswept polders around Nieuw-Namen are among the most sparsely populated areas in the Netherlands. In the street leading up to the Koningsdijk (King's Dyke), the houses on one side are in Belgium and on the other side in NL. A tree-lined straight bike path on top of the Koningsdijk connects Nieuw-Namen to De Klinge. It offers nice views over the surrounding polders and runs right on the border (formed by the Koningsdijk here), although the path is actually on the Belgian side. (updated Aug 2020)

1 Perkpolder Beach ("Ibiza on the Schelde") (14 km north of Hulst city centre). (updated Aug 2020)

Perkpolder used to be the place where the ferry across the Westerschelde departed, but has since been abandoned. However, in the late 2010s, the small sandy beach along the Westerschelde here has been gaining in popularity. A pop-up bar emerged, which was later turned into a permanent beach bar/restaurant: Bar Goed (open every day 10:00-01:00, closed during October). The food is light (e.g. street food, pizza, burgers, wraps, although they also serve the typical Zeelandic mussels and oysters), the emphasis is on drinking (including cocktails) and the atmosphere informal. Sometimes, they have live DJs playing.

On sunny summer days, Perkpolder Beach is packed with (mainly young) locals and visitors alike; the vibe is one of 'Ibiza on the Schelde'. As the bar cannot handle such mass invasions of people, it has an outside counter and lets people take their drinks and sprawl out on the dyke or on the beach. There is a general sense of anarchy on the beach, and enforcement of coronavirus rules is non-existent.

Swimming is possible, although you have to be careful of oyster shells. The beach is best visited around high tide, as the views over the wide waters are better, and the low tide line of the beach is a bit muddy (tide tables for nearby Terneuzen can be found online). Bar Goed provides toilets and showers to wash off the sand and salt afterwards, which anyone can use, also non-customers.

The only way to get to Perkpolder is by car or bicycle (excellent bike lane next to the mostly empty highway leading to the abandoned ferry jetty). During summer, a small bicycle and pedestrian ferry also crosses the Westerschelde to Hansweert on the other side from the former ferry jetty (60 minutes sailing time, very infrequent schedule, not daily, quite expensive as this service is operated by a private company which also organises seal spotting excursions). Hulst municipality is planning to build an entirely new village complete with (holiday) houses, a hotel and a marina in Perkpolder (Project 'Hulst-aan-Zee' - 'Hulst-on-Sea'), so transport connections might improve in the future.

The nearest place to sleep is Camping Perkpolder. The hotels in Kloosterzande are about 4 km away.