Wulpen (island)
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Wulpen was an island on the coast of the Southern Netherlands, flooded several times but eventually drowned in 1570 during the severe All Saints' Flood.
At its highpoint, the island had four villages and an abbey, associated with the city of Bruges, 'Brugse Vrije'. During the silting of the Zwin, the only water passage to Bruges, the prosperity of the city decreased and it could no longer maintain the dikes of the coastal area. Eventually the island was practically lost by the end of the 15th century, the year of the final drowning remaining unsure.[1]
The flooding of the two islands, Koezande and Wulpen, opened the seaway to Antwerp increasing its trade from the Westerschelde. This would end the prosperous commerce of Bruges.
[edit] references
- ^ Evolution of the dune ecosystem in Flanders during the Middle ages: anthropogenic factors versus sea level change theory, Beatrijs Augustyn, 1995
