Wine in medieval Damme

In his own playful way, Paul Saelens takes you to the busy port city of Damme, where masses of barrels of wine were unloaded, measured, stored, and sold or transited. This walk is part of the Heemdag (Local History Day) which takes place in Damme this year. In addition to local historians from the entire province, other interested parties can also participate. Only those who register for the whole day can join the walk! A whole day dedicated to the history of Damme In the morning, we welcome those registered in De Pulse , the new visitor center of Natuurpunt, with breakfast and a lecture by historian Caroline Terryn. The latest insights about Damme through the centuries will be discussed. How did the small port of Litterswerve at the newly formed Zwin immediately attract foreign merchants? Where was the dam of Damme located? How is the Gouden Eeuw van Damme still reflected today? But also, what shows the steady decline in the late Middle Ages? How did Damme become the textbook example of a fortified city in 1620 and why did Ferraris pay little attention to it in 1777? Why not Napoleon, but Willem I destroyed the Grain Market and so much more... After the sandwich lunch, we follow one of the three guides. Themes of the walks are 1st the new excavations in Damme, 2nd Damme and wine import, and 3rd the fortification of 1620 with a visit to the remains of the Sint Antoniuspoort. Subsequently, we are received in the town hall where the city offers a reception after the presentation of the local history prize for the best article of 2025. De Heemdag 2026 is the annual meeting day of Heemkunde West-Flanders and is co-organized by the Heemkundige Kring Zwinrechteroever Damme and Sint-Guthagoe Geschiedkundige Kring of the Zwin region. De Heemdag 2026 is open to local history associations and interested parties . The day program costs € 20 ( breakfast + lecture + lunch + walk + reception ) and can be supplemented with dinner in the Kleine Rietgans (€ 85 including day program, excluding drinks) only register via Bart Blomme of Heemkunde West-Flanders b.blomme@gmail.com