Philippine: Mussel Culture, Polder Paths and Fortification History

Philippine offers plenty to interest travelers who enjoy regional cuisine, landscapes and local history. Mussel restaurants, a walking route through the polder landscape and historic buildings reveal different sides of the town. When choosing a hotel, consider which of these themes you’d like to shape your stay.

Mussels and Local Food Culture

During mussel season, which runs from spring to late summer, restaurants in Philippine serve fresh Zeeland mussels daily. Exact serving dates may change. The mussels are prepared using a centuries-old family recipe. This brings together a seasonal offering and a culinary tradition passed down over many generations.

The town’s mussel restaurants serve around half a million kilograms of mussels each year; the actual amount may vary. Philippine also selects a mussel wine every year. The wine selected that year can be sampled at any mussel restaurant in town. Which restaurants take part may change. Visitors making regional cuisine the focus of their stay can explore two specific themes: the seasonal mussel season and the annually changing wine selection.

Polder Landscape and Walking Route

The Ommetje Philippine walking route winds through the polder landscape, across dikes and past former harbors west of Philippine. It is part of the Zeeland walking network “Langs Linies en Kreken” and the East Flanders walking network “Meetjeslandse kreken.” As its network affiliations may change, it is worth checking the current trail signs when planning your walk.

The dike slopes also give the landscape its distinctive character: rich in flowers, they are home to typical plants such as agrimony, wild marjoram, field scabious and restharrow. The slopes also attract butterflies and grasshoppers. Plants and wildlife sightings depend on the season, so what you see may vary depending on when you visit.

The Ommetje Philippine also includes two World War II bunkers at Olmendijk, including a so-called Tobruk bunker. Check local access arrangements before visiting these historic structures. The route combines a landscape walk with tangible traces of recent history, though no particular walking time or difficulty level can be inferred from this.

Harbor, Water and Fortification History

The “Philippine, stad van de mossel” cycling route follows the tracks of the time when mussel boats sailed in and out of Philippine. It also recalls the town’s important role in the mussel trade. Spuikompark tells another part of the harbor’s history: it commemorates the former flushing basin, where water was stored. At low tide, this water was used to flush silt and sand from the harbor and the navigation channel. What is presented in the park may change.

Philippine is an old fortified town. Remains of Spanish and Dutch design survive from the fortifications built during the Eighty Years’ War. The eastern stone bear was restored in 2012 and can be seen from the road along Philippineweg. An information board provides explanations and several architectural drawings; check local access arrangements before visiting. The western stone bear is part of the Philippine fortress and is open to visitors for one day a year during Open Monumentendag. Check the event date when planning your visit.

Buildings and Living Traditions

The Maria Hemelvaartkerk is a domed church built between 1953 and 1954 in a traditionalist style with Byzantine and classical elements. The design by Siebers and Van Dael has architectural and historical value because of its high aesthetic quality. The building and its furnishings are exceptionally well preserved and intact, making the church particularly worth seeing.

The Mosselmonument is also part of local history: J. C. van Driel created the monument, which was unveiled on July 6, 1988. Alongside such historical connections, Philippine currently has a Krulbol club, part of the region’s traditional Krulbol culture. Together with the mussel tradition, this paints a picture of local history expressed not only in buildings but also in local customs.

Discover more destinations: Biervliet, Terneuzen, Zaamslag, Axel, Sas Van Gent, Westdorpe, Koewacht, Hoek.

Back to the main travel overview: Terneuzen.