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Schagen en de Zijpe. Twee onbepaalde namen
- Amsterdam University Press
- Source: Tijdschrift voor Historische Geografie, Volume 8, Issue 3, Aug 2023, p. 184 - 201
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- 01 Aug 2023
Abstract
Schagen and de Zijpe. Two undetermined names
It is usually assumed that the meaning of geographical names is unambiguously fixed, but this is not always the case. Those who are insufficiently aware of the possibility that the meanings of geographical names can change over time, put themselves on the wrong track when interpreting historical sources. Using the names Schagen and de Zijpe as examples, this article demonstrates that these names have not always had the same meaning in the past and misunderstandings can arise as a result. The name Schagen originally referred to a large area belonging to the original parish of Schagen. After the mother parish was divided into smaller parishes, the name Schagen continued to exist, but designated a smaller area as the mother church of the original parish. In the case of the name Zijpe, something else occurred and a generic name became a proper name. The name Zijpe is usually explained as a breakthrough of the sandbar coast, although not every breakthrough of coast was referred to as Zijpe. It remains uncertain, however, whether the sea basin that was diked in 1597 was also created by a breakthrough of the sandbar coast.