Rilland can be understood through two periods: the creation of today’s village in the polder and the older traces of sunken Oud-Rilland. There are also buildings and a landscape whose appearance is influenced by the weather and tides. Visitors choosing a destination for its history and landscape will find concrete points of interest here for both.

Polder, Harbour and Salt Marshes

Today’s village of Rilland was founded in the late 18th century in the middle of the Reigersbergsche polder. The polder was diked in 1773. Haven Rattekaai was established later, in 1856, after the neighbouring Eerste-Bathpolder was diked, and served as a trading harbour for Rilland. This sequence leads from the construction of the dikes and the founding of the village to a harbour with a commercial function.

From Haven Rattekaai, you can look out over the mudflats and salt marshes of Verdronken Land van Zuid-Beveland. The weather and tides affect visibility. Another distinctive landscape feature is the Hollestelle next to the Klooster van Rilland. It is an artificial watering place within a ring dike and is one of the few examples still preserved in Zeeland. Such structures were generally built on salt marshes for sheep. During high water, the shepherd could retreat there with the flock.

Oud-Rilland and the Traces of the Flood

Oud-Rilland disappeared beneath the Westerschelde during the Sint-Felix Flood of 1530. Its remains can be seen at low tide: the tidal level is decisive for this view. A separate, more tentative historical trace should be distinguished from this: the wooden remains in the mudflats near Rilland probably belonged to an unspecified structure that may have been part of the village of Oud-Rilland, which was submerged in 1530 and 1532.

The history of today’s village and that of sunken Oud-Rilland thus point to different periods in the area’s past. The flood and the visible remains tell of a place that disappeared into the mudflats; today’s Rilland was founded later in the diked polder.

Mill, Church, Farm and Monastery

De Witte Molen was built in Rilland in 1851 as a grain mill by Foort de Jonge. A different architectural description applies to the former Reformed church on Bathseweg: it is a cruciform church whose tower has a tall, square spire at its southwest corner.

Mariahoeve was built in 1780 and is the only complete farm from that period still preserved in its original condition. It includes a detached 18th-century farmhouse and a 19th-century cross-passage barn with black-tarred timber walls. Since 1979, Mariahoeve has been officially listed as a Rijksmonument. The Klooster van Rilland, in turn, was founded by Capuchin friars in 1906. The dates help place the farm, mill, church and monastery as distinct milestones in the area’s architectural history.

Visitor Information

Haven Rattekaai can be reached from the A58 via exit 32, signposted for Rilland. As local directions may change, check the signs before setting off. An information board at the former monastery on Hoofdweg lists all the sights along the Ommetje Rilland: Oud & Nieuw route. Before travelling, check whether the board is still at the stated location.

Two factors are especially useful when planning your visit: the remains of Oud-Rilland can be seen at low tide, while the weather and tides affect the view from Haven Rattekaai. If you are looking for hotels in Rilland, you can first decide whether the tide-dependent landscape or the historic buildings with their documented dates will be the main focus of your stay.

Discover more destinations: Kruiningen, Yerseke.

Return to the main travel overview: Reimerswaal.