Plompe Toren

Koudekerke was a village on the south coast of Schouwen with a church, and through the sixteenth century the Oosterschelde ate the land in front of it - the coast retreated, the polder was lost, and by around 1583 the village had been abandoned and taken by the water. Only the tower was left, and it was kept deliberately: it was useful as a landmark for shipping, so it was maintained rather than demolished, and it now stands alone on the dyke with the water in front and empty polder behind, which is why it is one of the most photographed objects in Zeeland. Inside is a small exhibition on the drowned villages of Zeeland - there were many, and the province's history is largely a record of them - and the top gives a view over the Oosterschelde and the storm surge barrier. It is a plain, quiet, effective monument to losing.

What you actually see

• A tower with no church - all that survives of Koudekerke, gone by about 1583.
• Kept as a seamark - maintained because it was useful to shipping.
• An exhibition on drowned villages - the record of what Zeeland has lost to water.
• A view over the Oosterschelde - the estuary and the storm surge barrier from the top.

When to go

April to October. Two hours.

Honest expectations

It is one small tower - an hour covers it. The stair is narrow. Opening is seasonal and limited. The dyke road is exposed and there is little parking.

Nearby

The Oosterschelde barrier is west; Zierikzee is east.