Eede combines local history with a cross-border walking trail. One special landmark is the National Monument “De Nederlandse Maagd”: the approximately 25-kilometre-long Smokkelpad starts here. This provides two different points of reference for planning—the memorial, with its specific history, and a longer walking route through the border region.
The “De Nederlandse Maagd” National Monument
The National Monument commemorates Queen Wilhelmina’s return to the Netherlands after an absence of almost five years. A 4.8-metre-high tuff-stone column supports a female figure holding the Dutch national coat of arms. A commemorative plaque adds a connection to wartime history: it names the Canadian regiments that fought and suffered casualties there.
These details make the monument legible on several levels: the figure and coat of arms form its visible design, while the dedication and plaque recall historical events. Anyone interested in the history of the place will find a specific starting point here, without reducing Eede’s story to a single chapter. The buildings and memorial sites in the village also point to different periods of its past.
Other traces of local history
The observation tower in Eede was built in 1953. It is one of three surviving observation towers in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen. This makes it another historical landmark alongside the National Monument, dating from the Cold War era. Its regional context also distinguishes the tower from a monument commemorating a specific event and a queen.
Smaller buildings that once served other purposes are also part of the area’s historical picture. The former flax-drying kiln on Brieversweg, near house number 9, is designated a municipal monument. The former tram station and customs building on Nieuwe Weg, near house number 5, has the same designation. Together, these sites point to the history of flax processing, trams and customs. Their different names help distinguish these subjects.
Church history offers another point of reference in time: after the Peace of Münster in 1648, a church was built in Eede in 1649–1650. At the time, 40 Reformed households lived there. The construction dates and household count offer a specific glimpse of Eede in the years following the peace settlement.
The Ee and the Smokkelpad
The Ee flows through Eede and gave the municipality of Eede its name. Historically, the stream flowed past Aardenburg and into the Zwin. This connects local history with the landscape of the border region, beyond the place name, without suggesting that its former course is the same as a current walking route.
The Smokkelpad is a cross-border walking trail approximately 25 kilometres long. It starts at the National Monument on Koningin Wilhelminaplein and runs through the municipalities of Sluis, Maldegem and Sint-Laureins. The monument and the walking trail therefore share a specific point of reference, but remain different ways to explore Eede and its surroundings. When planning, you can decide whether to focus on local history or the longer route.
Road directions
For road travel towards Sluis, routes from Zelzate via the N49 and from Aalter via the N44 both go through Maldegem towards Eede on the N410. This provides guidance for the journey, but does not indicate current traffic conditions.
Discover more destinations: Nieuwvliet, Oostburg, Schoondijke, Cadzand, Nieuwvliet-Bad, Breskens, Aardenburg, Ijzendijke
For the main travel overview: Sluis.
