‘Tomorrow I will return to my drowned land, with the staff’

“Not at all,” Bleijenberg said when asked if the intention was to write a book about his experiences. “I met a friend, who also turns out to be very distant from my family. Together we share the passion of Land van Saeftinghe.”

Interest in water was already present in childhood, although it came in an unexpected and not quite pleasant way. “As a ten-year-old, I had problems with a runny ear. I had to be operated. Because there was a shortage of hospitals in Terneuzen, I was operated on in a field hospital. There I heard the water splash. the wall. This is how my interest was born. “

Later, Bleijenberg became a fisherman. “I went up step by step. I was a skipper for example. I was on a sounding boat, so you gauge the depth. If you have to do that, it’s a breeze to see what is lying on the bottom . On songs. Dating back to the Middle Ages. “

With the help of a staff and a son-in-law

He always arrives at his beloved place. “I will go back tomorrow. With the stick, because I have trouble with my balance. But I really like to go. If I have time, I take my bike and I go to Saeftinghe. My son-in-law comes often. ”Her son-in-law, Clem, also helped with the book. “He is well literate and knows how to photograph well.”

Until twenty years ago, Bleijenberg was a guide in the drowned country of Saeftinghe and liked to come there afterwards. During all these years he made many special discoveries. “We found six skeletons once. We gave them names ourselves.” Bleijenberg also discovered an ancient beacon. The beacon guided ships along the Zealand-Flemish coast.

The full De Zeeuwse Kamer show can be heard below:

Richard Bleijenberg on his experiences in the Verdronken Land van Saetinghe

The Drowned Land of Saeftinghe was created after the All Saints Day Flood of 1570. Until then, Saeftinghe was a fertile polder land. The people lived by farming and cutting peat. In 1570, almost the entire area was under water. In 1584, during the 80 years war, Dutch soldiers for strategic reasons crossed the last intact dikes and Saeftinghe disappeared under water.