Watch tower Slikken van de Heen - Sint Philipsland

The Slikken van de Heen are former sandbanks, mud flats and salt marshes. When the Philips Dam was built in 1987, the areas were drained and gradually became less saline in the years that followed. Now it is a varied landscape with thickets, dune reeds and grassy plains, which is still developing strongly. You can still see the tidal channels from when it was still in direct connection with the sea.

The mudflats are named after a plant that is common along the banks of the creeks, the heen. You can recognise it by its purple-brown, spiny and star-like leaves. Heen is also called sea rush.

To keep up with the vegetation, three types of large grazers roam the area: red giants (cattle), konik horses and wisents. Each of these grazers has its own preference for certain plant species. This allows the area to retain its semi-open character.

The area attracts many water birds, seabirds and marsh birds. The tree pipit, garden warbler, fitis and stonechat nest here every year. In winter, numerous waterbirds winter in the area. With a bit of luck, the white-tailed eagle, which has been breeding in this area again for several years, will fly over during the breeding season.

From the watchtower, you have a wonderful view of the natural beauty. Watch tower Slikken van de Heen is a steel tower with a slender, pyramid-shaped appearance. You reach the top via a narrow spiral staircase, where you can enjoy the view in all directions. The tower was raised by 5 metres in 2021, making it 19.5 metres high. This was necessary because the surrounding forests had grown so much that the view was restricted.

The tower stands next to the Scheldt-Rhine Canal and marks the border with North Brabant. From the top, you can look south-east at the Brabant landscape while standing on a tower in Zeeland. It offers great views of the surrounding nature reserves.