City, capital of the province of Zeeland. Its first documentation dates from 1103; an abbey was founded here in 1123, and the city was granted urban statutes in 1207. Middelburg, on the island of Walcheren in the delta of the rivers Scheldtand Meuse, was an important and prosperous commercial center. During the 17th cen tury, many merchants traded with Asia and the Americas through the East India Company and the West India Company. In 1720, the Middelburgse Commercie Compagnie was founded for trade with Africa. Decline set in during the 18th century. Middelburg, which was seriously damaged by bombing during World War II, now has about 39,000 inhabitants. It is an administrative and cultural center. Middelburg possesses a fine museum of arts, the Zeeuws Museum, and some beautiful old buildings such as the Gothic town hall from the 15th century and the (restored) abbey building with the New Church. The city also houses, since 2004, the Roosevelt Academy, a liberal arts and sciences university college.
Historical Dictionary of the Netherlands. EdwART. 2012.