Kruispolderhaven

Kruispolderhaven is a rural village located in the eastern Zeeuws-Vlaanderen portion of the Dutch province of Zeeland. Its name originates from its location at the eastern tip of the Kruispolder, a "crossed" polder adjacent to a (now nonexistent) seaport on the southern bank of the Western Scheldt estuary. ["Nova et Accurata Comitatus Zelandiae Tabula", Carel Allard (1648-ca.1730), Zeeuws Archief in de beroemde collectie Zelandia Illustrata (deel 1 inv. nr. 108) van het Koninklijk Zeeuws Genootschap der Wetenschappen, 1691.]

History

On November 1, 1570, a devastating flood, which became known as The All Saint's Flood (Allerheiligenvloed), engulfed this land.cite web
url = http://www.deltawerken.com/Allerheiligenvloed-(1570)/225.html
title = Allerheiligenvloed
accessdate = 2008-03-31
publisher = Deltawerken.Com When the dikes were rebuilt in 1616 they used the latest dike-building technology of the time. They built the dikes straight and at right angles to each other, making a cross. This newly reclaimed area was named "Cruys Polder" (cross polder), reflecting its uniqueness. People from this area sometimes took the surname Van de Cruys (from the cross), or simply, Cruys. Later derivations of the surname Cruys became Cruijsse, Crouse, and Kruis, among others. ["Crouse Family History, Second Edition, Researcher's Supplement", Rogue Publishing, Seattle, Washington, 2007.]

Today, while other dikes protect Kruispolderhaven, the original "cross" dikes have been reduced to field level and are represented by the east-west roads, Kruispolderkaai (cross-polder-quay) and Lange Nieuwstraat (long new-street). The north-south cross is represented by Ooststraat (east-street). Besides Kruispolderhaven, the Kruispolder also contains the hamlets of Kruisdorp and Baalhoek.

References

External links

* [http://www.kuijsten.de/atlas/ze/hontenisse.html Map of the area in 1868, showing Kruispolderhaven as "Kruispolder"]
* [http://d120788.u25.digipark.com/zealand/index.htm Zealand, New Brunswick, Canada]