The (Dutch: '''''Schelde''''', French '''''Escaut''''') is a 350 that finds its origin in the north of
France , enters
Belgium and near
Antwerp flows west into
The Netherlands towards the
North Sea . It is the main river through the Belgian cities of
Ghent and Antwerp.
Originally there were two branches from that point: the Oosterschelde (Eastern Scheldt) and the with the mainland (
North Brabant ). Today the river therefore continues into the Westerschelde
Estuary only, passing
Terneuzen to reach the North Sea between
Breskens in
Zeeuws-Vlaanderen and
Vlissingen on
Walcheren .
The Scheldt estuary has always had considerable commercial and strategic importance. In
Roman days it was important for the shipping lanes to
Britannia . The
Franks took control over the region around
260 and at first interfered with the Roman supply routes as pirates. Later they became allies of the Romans. With the various divisions of the
Frankish Empire in the
9th Century , the Scheldt eventually became the border between the West and the East Empire, later named
France and the
Holy Roman Empire .
This situation remained -- at least on paper -- till
1528 , although by then both
Flanders on the left bank and Zeeland and
Brabant on the right were part of the
Habsburg possessions of the
Seventeen Provinces . Antwerp was the most prominent harbor of Western Europe. After this city fell back under Spanish control in
1585 the
Dutch Republic took control of Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, a strip of land on the left shore and closed the Scheldt for shipping. This shifted the trade to
Amsterdam .
In the time of the
French Revolution the river was reopened in
1792 and once Belgium in
1830 had claimed its independence from The Netherlands the treaty of the Scheldt determined that the river should remain accessible to ships headed for Belgian ports.
In
World War II the estuary once again became a contested area. Despite allied control of Antwerp, in September 1944 German forces still occupied fortified positions throughout the Scheldt estuary west and north, preventing any allied shipping to the port. In the
Battle Of The Scheldt , the
Canadian First Army successfully cleared the area, allowing supply convoys direct access to the port of
Antwerp by November of 1944.
