Turning Back Tide: the Zwin debate in perspective. A historiographical review of the medieval port system northeast of Bruges. (original) (raw)

Tome 97-2015 juin 2016 n As the 11 th -century Encomium Emmae Reginae describes, Bruges became a leading European cultural and economic centre during the Middle Ages. The specific position it held within transcontinental and maritime trade route networks played a crucial role in this development. Lying inland, a navigable connection to the sea was not self-evident for Bruges. In order to attain and retain such connections, natural creeks were connected with man-made canals, dams and sluices, creating a port system that was named totum pro parte after its main waterway : the Zwin 2 . At the borders of the main creek, a series of Zwin cities developed, including Damme, Monnikerede, Hoeke, Mude and Sluis. These cities functioned as a network of outports, which shaped the region into a linear suburban extension of Bruges. The land that was cut across by this port system simultaneously evolved from natural mudflats and saltmarshes into an embanked agricultural landscape. To make these wetlands arable and liveable, a vast network of dikes and ditches were constructed, which resulted in seemingly opposed interests : on the one hand, searching a navigable way to the sea, and, on the other, protecting the land against flooding. Both incentives stimulated innovative hydrological engineering and had a farreaching impact on the coastal landscape.