Famous Middelburgers

A lens grinder who opened the way to a new perspective. His invention of the telescope in 1608 gave him a glimpse into the wonders of the universe. The story goes that he was given the idea by his children who, while flushing in his eyewear store, noticed that they could enlarge and reduce objects by holding a concave and a convex lens in front of their eye.

Johannes Goedaert (1617-1668) of Middelburg was an insectologist as well as a painter. He spent his entire life cultivating, observing and describing in detail maggots and larvae. Goedaert was the first to describe the metamorphosis of insects and gave Dutch names to many insect species. Starting in 1635, he documented his observations in words as well as in pictures

The discovery of Easter Island in 1722 made Jacob Roggeveen, born in Middelburg, a world-famous explorer. His journey to Easter Island was originally intended as a search for the mythical "Southland," an expedition in the service of the Dutch West India Company. Roggeveen was not only a notary and explorer, but also the author of several theological books.

At 77 Molenwater stands the house where Etty Hillesum was born on January 15, 1914. When she moved to Amsterdam to study, she kept a diary. In it she described about her life and about her personal experience with anti-Jewish measures and deportations during World War II. After the war, her diary was published as a book and became a testimony to her courage and resilience in dark times. Etty Hillesum's birthplace presents the diarist's life story in an interactive manner.

Poet, lawyer and politician. Jacob Cats was a multifaceted personality. Born in Brouwershaven and living in the house at Lange Noordstraat 31 from 1603 to 1623. Although Cats was known for his political career, he was also a prolific writer. Because of his often pedantic poems, he was known as "father Cats. He rose to the position of raadpensionaris van Holland, a position similar to that of today's prime minister.