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by Jarig Bakker, 1 May 2005
adoption date unknown; design ?
In 1514 an Roman oathstone was found here on the beach, and local lore had it that Hercules himself had built a castle and a temple - that may be the reason for this coat of arms. (not as unlikely as it seems, as Odysseus was having a good time in Zierikzee (= Circe sea), not far from here - according to a Zeeuwse rewriter of history, who also proved that there was a Trojan Cow, not horse :-) )
In Roman times it was a seaport for traffic to England, and that has
left a Hercules-statue here. In medieval times it was equally an important
harbor, which was granted townrights in 1223 by Count Floris IV. In 1567
Westkapelle became one of the domains of the House of Orange. It was for
centuries involved in the battle against the sea, and in the 19th and 20th
centuries many Westkappellers were dikeworkers. The greatest catastrophe
however came out of the air: The English bombed the dike at Westkapelle
on 3 Oct 1944, and again on 29 Oct, ruining c. 80 % of the village, and
Walcheren was nearly totally drowned. On 3 Oct 1945 they had managed to
close the gap. Now it is a bathing resort. The pride of Westkapelle is
its lighthouse, on which someone has scratched: "dat de toren niet mag
worden beschreven, bekrast of besmet". (forbidden to write, scratch
or contaminate the tower). The artist Toorop found here many models for
his paintings.
Source: Prisma-toeristengids Zeeland - Brabant - Limburg, 1965.
Jarig Bakker, 1 May 2005
Arms: azure three castles in a horizontal row argent, with a topfloor or, in base or.