of the dyke. It is part of the Dijk- en Oorlogsmuseum (Dyke and War museum), and never has been active at that place. Nicknames For a long time, Westkapelle was a very closed community, although this is less so nowadays due to tourism and the so-called import (people who moved to the village from other parts of the Netherlands). This was, and is, obvious from the limited number of surnames in the village; furthermore, because it was customary to name children after their grandparents, (great)uncles and (great)aunts, many people had exactly the same name. To avoid confusion, nicknames were — and are — used in daily life. These vary enormously, and are sometimes attached to a single person but sometimes also to a family, and often a combination of both. The nickname can be derived from someone's real name, refer to one of his or her parents (and sometimes multiple generations back), and/or come from something completely different — again, combinations of these factors are commonplace. Outsiders who are not aware of this custom can experience difficulties because of it, since someone's real name is sometimes only barely known: he or she is really only known by the nickname, and remembering the real name is a bit of an effort. For more official business, the father's first initial was often appended following the surname, followed by the letter "z" or "d" (for the Dutch "zoon" or "dochter", son or daughter): the name Johanna Minderhoud Hd, for example, indicates that she is the daughter of H. Minderhoud ("Hd" is short for "H-sdochter"): see patronymic. This was even used in such things as obituaries. Panoramic view Westkapelle is surrounded at three sides by sea. Standing on the dyke at the westernmost tip, the 360° panoramic view over the village, the sea and the shipping lane – surprisingly close to the coast – is spectacular. References External links Populated coastal places in the Netherlands Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 1997 Former municipalities of Zeeland Populated places in Zeeland Veere