King Willem-Alexander and queen Máxima will pay a regional visit to Walcheren on Tuesday, August 27.
The Royal Couple will visit the municipalities of Vlissingen, Middelburg and Veere. The theme of the regional visit is the sustainable future of the Zeeland delta. Part of the program is a visit to the Joint Research Center Zeeland (JRCZ). Here they will meet researchers and students and learn about current research projects.
Land and water are inseparable on Walcheren. There is plenty of room in the delta for innovations and entrepreneurship and for the sustainable development of tourism, nature and housing. The theme of the visit to Middelburg is education and research. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will visit the JRCZ here. At the JRCZ, research is conducted on four themes that fit the DNA of the Southwest Delta: water, energy, food and the biobased economy.
Students, researchers, companies and government work together there to find solutions to issues in the areas of water, energy and food. The Royal Couple will visit the various laboratories and talk to students and representatives of companies about their research projects and about the joint learning and research line of MBO, HBO and scientific education.
For more information
Do you have any questions about the visit? If so, please contact Leo Blok, manager Joint Research Center Zeeland, at jrcz@hz.nl.
Program regional visit
An extensive program was put together on Tuesday, August 27. Read below the places the King and Queen Máxima will visit in addition.
Vlissingen: maritime history and future
The regional visit will start in the Scheldekwartier in Vlissingen, where De Schelde shipyard used to be located and where a residential and working area is now being created with new construction. Maritime industrial heritage is being given a new purpose here. The Royal Couple walks from the Dokbrug to the Machinefabriek. Here they speak with users of the Scheldekwartier about the development of the district and with those involved about the plans and initial results of the "Wind in the sails" package of measures. The government has set up this package as compensation for not realizing a marine barracks in Vlissingen and is investing in the business climate and the regional economy.
Veere: cultural-historical heritage
The King and Queen Máxima walk through the historic center and receive explanations at Museum Veere about the collection and about the 16th-century Town Hall statues and the collection that highlight the various elements of the city's history. On the steps of the Old Town Hall, the mayor presents the gilded silver cup of Maximilian of Burgundy to the King, also Marquis of Veere. The cup was commissioned by Emperor Charles V in the 16th century and given to the city by Maximilian of Burgundy. The Marquis of Veere is the only person allowed to drink from the cup and does so during his or her first visit as monarch to Veere.
Serooskerke: innovative freshwater applications
Climate change is increasing the demand for fresh water. In Zeeland, being surrounded by salt water, there are too few natural freshwater sources. A freshwater basin has been constructed in Serooskerke that farmers can use to water their crops during dry periods. Wastewater and rainwater collected from an adjacent campsite are treated and stored in the basin. At the freshwater basin, the Royal Couple will speak with the initiator about the construction and use of the basin. Followed by a discussion with representatives of knowledge institutions and users about the buffering and reuse of water and the cooperation between water users and water managers.
Domburg: tourism and quality of life
The regional visit to Walcheren concludes on the coast of Zeeland. In a beach pavilion in Domburg, the Royal Couple was brought up to date on the challenges surrounding the preservation of the scenic and ecological quality of the coast and the attraction of Zeeland's beaches to tourism and its impact on quality of life. Also discussed in Domburg are the range of (water) sports and culture on offer on Walcheren and the attention paid to clean beaches and water quality.
Beeld: ©RVD - Patrick van Katwijk