Middelburg - Layout

In the center of Middelburg are two concentric rings of streets, on the line of the old grachten constructed to strengthen the town's defenses as it grew steadily larger over the centuries. From these inner rings a number of streets lead out to a U-shaped outer circuit of grachten with the open end to the north. Farther out again is the line of the old fortifications, bounded on the south side by the Walcheren Canal, which links the town with the open sea.