West Terschelling - Terschelling - The Netherlands - Cityscapes on Waymarking.com

The village was created in the twelfth century on a sandbank that blended with the rest of the island a century earlier. The name of the village (and of the entire island of Terschelling) seems to be derived from the name that the sandbank bore, namely De Schelling. Over the years, the name of the village has gradually changed. The names Westeinde, West-Schelling, Westerschelling, West ter Schelling and West-Terschelling are successively known. The village used to be named after Saint Brandarius, the saint of the fires. Well-known are names such as Sint Brandarius parish and Sint-Brandarius church.

As late as the seventeenth century, the village was called Brandaris for short, a name that was later reserved for the village's lighthouse.

In 1666, West-Terschelling, a rest home for sailors, was almost completely burned down by an invasion of the English fleet during the Second English War. Only thirty buildings were spared, including the Brandaris and the Sint-Janskerk. The captain of the English fleet, Robert Holmes, reported burning "a town called Brandaris".

West-Terschelling has suffered from severe coastal erosion for years. By moving a rift in a northerly direction, a considerable part of the dune area to the east of the village disappeared into the sea between 1600 and 1800, and almost half of the village also collapsed. Ultimately, a system of dams was constructed between 1780 and 1840 to curb erosion.

Icoon voor Geverifieerd door de community

City Name: West Terschelling View Type: Over Land Location Type: Natural High-Point City Lights: yes Distance: 0.25 km. Terrain: Fee: Not Listed

Visit Instructions:
Logging requirements are left to the waymark owner, but a photo is always appreciated.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   12/15/2021 Andre 61 visited it 05/27/2021 reintje visited it

View all visits/logs