De Panne (; french: La Panne ) is a town and a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

located on the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegia ...

coast of the Belgian province of

West Flanders ) , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of West Flanders.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van West-Vlaanderen.svg , shield_size = , image_map ...

. There it borders France, making it the westernmost town in Belgium. It is one of the most popular

resort town A resort town, often called a resort city or resort destination, is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy. A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in the surrounding ...

destinations within Belgium. The municipality includes the village of

Adinkerke Adinkerke ( French: ''Adinkerque'') is a village in the municipality of De Panne in western Belgium close to the French border. It forms a conurbation with the coastal town of De Panne, which in turn is part of the west Belgian coastal conurbat ...

. On 1 January 2011 De Panne had a total population of 10,748 on a total area of 23.90 km², which gives a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPop ...

of 449.7 inhabitants per km².

Miscellaneous

Famous people who have lived or died in De Panne include

King Albert I Albert I (8 April 1875 – 17 February 1934) was King of the Belgians from 23 December 1909 until his death in 1934. Born in Brussels as the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders and Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Si ...

and Queen Elisabeth, and

John Aidan Liddell John Aidan Liddell, (3 August 1888 – 31 August 1915) was a British military pilot and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Early li ...

, VC, who died in De Panne in August 1915. The Belgian royal family lived in De Panne during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fighti ...

because it was located in the tiny fraction of their country that was not conquered by the Germans. De Panne is home to

Plopsaland Plopsaland De Panne is a theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structu ...

, a theme park aimed at young children and located on the former grounds of

Meli Park Meli Park was a theme park which was opened in 1935 in Adinkerke in the municipality of De Panne on the Belgian coast. History The bee-themed amusement park was initiated by Alberic-Joseph Florizoone, owner of a honey company. Its mascot was ...

. De Panne was also the place where the first

land yacht Land sailing, also known as sand yachting, land yachting or dirtboating, is the act of moving across land in a wheeled vehicle powered by wind through the use of a sail. The term comes from analogy with (water) sailing. Historically, land sa ...

s intended for sport were built and used by the Dumont brothers in 1898. On 17 July 1831, Leopold I, the first Belgian king, sailed to Calais from England, and arrived in Belgium in De Panne. The Leopold I Esplanade, which includes a statue of him, commemorates his arrival. Since 1977 the town has hosted the

Three Days of De Panne 3 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 3, three, or III may also refer to: * AD 3, the third year of the AD era * 3 BC, the third year before the AD era * March, the third month Books * '' Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 ...

cycle race, which is held in the run up to, and traditionally used by riders as preparation for the

Tour of Flanders The Tour of Flanders ( nl, Ronde van Vlaanderen), also known as ''De Ronde'' (''"The Tour"''), is an annual road cycling race held in Belgium every spring. The most important cycling race in Flanders, it is part of the UCI World Tour and organ ...

Transport

De Panne Railway Station is located in nearby

. There are regular

NMBS french: Société nationale des chemins de fer belgesgerman: Nationale Gesellschaft der Belgischen Eisenbahnen , type = Statutory corporation , industry = Rail Transport , foundation = 1926 , founder = Government of ...

trains to

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

. The line across the

border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders ca ...

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Gare de Dunkerque Dunkerque station ( French: ''Gare de Dunkerque'') is a railway station serving the town Dunkirk, Nord department, northern France. This part of French Flanders is near West Flanders in Belgium. Services The station is served by high speed t ...

. A cross-border campaign group called Trekhaak-73 is seeking to re-open the railway line.

Belgian Military Cemetery of De Panne

The cemetery is located at Kerkstraat 69 in De Panne, 1 km south of the church. Besides Belgian soldiers who died in the First World War there are also British soldiers who died in the Second World War. 3,744 soldiers have been buried here.description of the architecture and history of the Belgian military cemetery of De Panne (in Dutch)
/ref> Nearby is

Adinkerke Military Cemetery Adinkerke Military Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) burial ground for the dead of the Western Front of the First and Second World War. It is located near Adinkerke in the municipality of De Panne in western Belgium, close ...

Images

Image:De Panne Statue Leopold I detail.JPG, Statue of Leopold I in De Panne Image:De Panne Dunes et plage.jpg, Beach and apartment buildings

References

External links

Official website
- Information available in

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People ...

and limited information available in French,

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

{{Authority control Municipalities of West Flanders Seaside resorts in Belgium