A geological history of the Scheldt: from rivulet to lifeline

The Scheldt is Antwerp's lifeline. The river links the city to the rest of the world. Without the Scheldt, there would be no port. But the Scheldt did not always run as it does today. Join us on a journey through its history

History Nature

Source in Gouy

Millions of years ago, the Scheldt first emerged as a small stream in northern France. Today, the river flows from its source in Gouy over 350 kilometers to the North Sea.

During the Ice Ages, sea levels were much lower. As a result, the North Sea lay much farther away, and the Scheldt had to flow a great deal further. It first wound its way for hundreds of kilometers through a vast sandy plain: Doggerland, the habitat of the mammoth.

Did you know
Since 2009, Port of Antwerp-Bruges has been co-owner of the Scheldt’s source in Gouy?

Foto van het monument van de Stad Antwerpen bij de bron van de Schelde in het Franse Gouy

©The monument of the City of Antwerp at the source of the Scheldt in Gouy

The Flemish Valley

200,000 years ago, we experienced the penultimate ice age, known as the Saalian. The Scheldt and other rivers once flowed through the area that is now Flanders. All of these waterways transport large amounts of stones and gravel. These materials scrape along the riverbeds and banks.

In this way, the Scheldt gradually carves deeper into the land, forming the “Flemish Valley.” This river valley cuts across what is now Flanders and runs from south to west. At its deepest point, between present-day Ghent and Zeebrugge, the valley lies thirty metres below sea level.

Mechelen-at-Sea

After the Saalian glaciation, temperatures rose again, causing the ice caps to melt. Sea levels rose and the land was flooded. The sea came almost as far as present-day Mechelen. The Scheldt became a much shorter river, flowing into the sea at “Mechelen-on-Sea.”

Rivers generally flow much more slowly near their mouths. The Scheldt, too, no longer flowed quickly through the Flemish Valley. As a result, carried stones and gravel sank to the bottom, filling the river valley with boulders, silt, and gravel. The valley between present-day Ghent and Zeebrugge completely silted up, and the water of the Scheldt sought another path to the sea.

From swamp to global port

The Scheldt’s waters keep the area around the port wet and marshy. This fertile land attracted people. By 9000 BC, the first settlers were living along the Scheldt. These early inhabitants used flints, traces of which were discovered during the construction of the harbour docks at Lillo.

In the centuries after, people reclaimed parts of the Scheldt’s floodplain, constructing dikes and employing windmills to pump away the water to the river. This produces fertile land that is well shielded from floods. Later, they relied on a polder pumping station, as shown in this 1955 photo of the Oosterweel station.

Even after 10,000 years, the Scheldt continues to attract people to Antwerp. Today, activity in the port provides more than 160,000 jobs, all thanks to the Scheldt.

Poldergemaal te Oosterweel. Dit is een inrichting tot bemalen ( van overtollig water ontdoen ) van een polder.

A blessing and a curse

The Scheldt is not only a blessing. Because of the strong tidal influence and the low-lying land, the area floods regularly. Over time, floods from the river and the sea have claimed the lives of many people and animals. On 5 November 1530, the Saint Felix Flood inundated the entire coast of Flanders This disaster claimed the lives of thousands.

Overstoming van de Schelde op 12 maart 1906. De koopwaren op het Bexplein (nu Steenplein) liggen in het water.

Forty years on, the All Saints Flood hit on 1 November 1570, submerging villages in Saeftinghe. After the Ruisbroek flood in 1976, the Flemish government decided to strengthen the country’s flood defences with the Sigma Plan.

Did you know

Flanders probably owes its name to the floods? The word “Vlaanderen” comes from the Germanic word “Flaum”, which means “land that regularly floods.”

Sigma Plan for the future

The Sigma Plan consists of several projects that protect a total of 260 kilometres of river landscape in Flanders from flooding. This is done by constructing higher dykes and floodplains. During a storm tide, when the Scheldt’s water level rises significantly due to the combined effect of storm and high tide, the flood areas are intentionally flooded in a controlled manner. This causes the water to drop in other places. These areas also provide space for flourishing natural landscapes.

The effectiveness of the Sigma Plan was already demonstrated during the 2013 St. Nicholas storm. Although the Scheldt’s water level reached nearly one and a half metres above normal, the flood defence wall prevented Antwerp’s city centre from flooding. The floodplains of the Sigma Plan also keep other areas dry.

The Sigma Plan is due to be completed by 2030. The banks of the Scheldt will then be protected until 2100. A number of projects are still planned before then. In Lillo, the Scheldt will have increased capacity, and the new Royers Lock gates will be constructed at a greater height. In this way, the Scheldt remains, above all, a blessing: a clean river that brings prosperity.