The village 'Waterlandkerkje' is situated on the point where 3 'polders' come
together: 'Gouden Polder' - 'Oude Passegeule Polder' - 'Vrije Polder'.
The surrounding land was inundated several times.
Every time they have to built new dikes there.
This land, consisting of the:
'parochie St. Nicolaas' in the 'Oudemanspolder'
'parochie St. Cathelijne near 'Oostburg'
'parochie St. Margriete' (=now in Belgium)
'parochie St. Jan-in-Eremo' (=now in Belgium)
('parochie' = parish)
In 1622 the land was inundated again.
When the 'Oudemanspolder' became new dikes again in 1652,
the old 'Heerlijkheid Waterland' was divided in three parts:
this was the birth of the village 'Oudeman' in Belgium
('Heerlijkheid' means 'manor / property of a landowner')
The church (13th century) of 'Waterland-Oudeman' was built
on 'Staaten bodem', near to the border created in 1664, in
the community 'Goed Leven'. It was called 'St.Nicolaas'-church.
This church was restorated in 1657. The protestants were
using the church after the restoration. This caused serious trouble:
fightings between protestants and roman-catholics.
During these fights the 'predikant' (clergyman) Joannis Steurbout was
killed and the church was plundered.
In 1669 a new church was founded on the point where 3 'polders'
came together (see first line of this text.)
On the church you can read the year '1674'.
That's the year that the village 'Waterlandkerkje' was born.
('kerkje' means 'little church').
'Waterlandkerkje' = 'little church of Waterland'
This church was put into fire by the French in 1708, but was rebuilt
shortly after that. The latest restauration was in 1958.
'Waterlandkerkje' was an independent 'gemeente' (municipal) from
1796 untill 1970.
The communities 'Bakkersdam' - 'Klein Brabant' - 'Turkeye' - 'de Keizer' -
'Slepershaven' were part of the 'gemeente 'Waterlandkerkje'.
The last mayor of the 'gemeente Waterlandkerkje' was M.J. Verbrugge,
who was major from 1942 untill 1964.
Nowadays 'Waterlandkerkje' is part of the 'gemeente Oostburg'.