Koksijde (; ; ) is a town and a

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

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. It is located on the

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

coast in the southwest of the

Flemish Flemish may refer to: * Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium * Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium *Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium * Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...

province of

West Flanders West Flanders is the westernmost province of the Flemish Region, in Belgium. It is the only coastal Belgian province, facing the North Sea to the northwest. It has land borders with the Dutch province of Zeeland to the northeast, the Flemis ...

. The municipality comprises apart from Koksijde, the villages of

Oostduinkerke Oostduinkerke (; ; ) is a place on the southern west coast of Belgium, located in the province of West Flanders. Once a municipality of its own, Oostduinkerke now is a sub-municipality in the municipality of Koksijde. The name ''Oostduinkerke'' ...

, Saint-Idesbald and Wulpen. On 1 January 2018, Koksijde municipality had a total population of 21,957 on a total area of , which gives a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

of . Since 1995 Marc Vanden Bussche has been mayor of Koksijde.

Municipality

The municipality of Koksijde comprises the "

deelgemeente A (, literally ''sub-municipality''), or section (), is a subdivision of a municipality in Belgium and, until March 2014, in the Netherlands as well. Belgium Each municipality in Belgium that existed as a separate entity on 1 January 1961 bu ...

n" Koksijde,

, Saint-Idesbald and Wulpen. The old town centre of Koksijde is located about two kilometres from the shoreline. Close by the sea, a new tourist centre, Koksijde-bad, has developed. A bit to the west on the territory is the hamlet of Saint-Idesbald. The old town centre of Oostduinkerke is located more than one kilometre from the coastline as well, with Oostduinkerke-bad close to the sea. Over four kilometres inland is the rural

polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrology, hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as levee, dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclamation, Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a ...

village of Wulpen. Koksijde borders the following villages and municipalities: *a. Nieuwpoort (city) *b. Ramskapelle (Nieuwpoort) *c. Booitshoeke (Veurne) *d.

Veurne Veurne (; , ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Belgium, Belgian Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Veurne proper and the settlements of , , ...

(city) *e.

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

(municipality De Panne) *f.

De Panne De Panne (; ) is a town and a municipality located on the North Sea coast of the Belgian province of West Flanders. There it borders France, making it the westernmost town in Belgium. It is one of the most popular resort town destinations within ...

(municipality)

Tourism

The museum of the historical

Ten Duinen Abbey Ten Duinen Abbey or the Abbey of the Dunes () was a Cistercian monastery at Koksijde in what is now Belgium. It was one of the richest and most influential religious institutions in the medieval County of Flanders. It later relocated from Koksijde ...

is set in a modern building, explaining the religious and cultural importance of this

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...

throughout history and showing the daily life of

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

monks from the early Middle Ages, beginning in 1107 till the death of the last monk in 1833. The archaeological site has been restored, and is open to the public. The attic of the museum contains a remarkable collection of

liturgical Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...

silverware. The British Military Cemetery (1940–1945) bears witness to British sacrifices in the

Battle of Dunkirk The Battle of Dunkirk () was fought around the French Third Republic, French port of Dunkirk, Dunkirk (Dunkerque) during the Second World War, between the Allies of World War II, Allies and Nazi Germany. As the Allies were losing the Battle ...

. The Paul Delvaux Museum in Saint-Idesbald houses the world's largest collection of works by the Belgian painter

Paul Delvaux Paul Delvaux (; 23 September 1897 – 20 July 1994) was a Belgian painter noted for his dream-like scenes of women, classical architecture, trains and train stations, and skeletons, often in combination. He is often considered a surrealist, alt ...

Sports

The annual

Duinencross Koksijde The Duinencross Koksijde ("Cyclo-cross of Dunes") is a cyclo-cross race held in Koksijde, Belgium since 1969. From 1996 until 2021 it was part of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup The UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup is a season-long competition in cyclo-c ...

cyclo-cross Cyclo-cross (cyclocross, CX, cyclo-X or cross) is a form of bicycle racing. Races typically take place in the autumn and winter (the international or "World Cup" season is October–February), and consist of many laps of a short (2.5–3.5&nb ...

race, part of the

UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup The UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup is a season-long competition in cyclo-cross, organised by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and Flanders Classics. First held in the 1993–1994 season, there are currently six awards, tailored to the different ...

, takes place in the municipality. In 1994 and 2012 the

UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships The UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships are the world championships for cyclo-cross organised by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). Starting in 2022, seven events are organized each year – UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships – Men's elite ...

were held here. Koksijde operates the Koksijde Golf ter Hille

golf club A golf club is a club used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a club head. Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; irons, the most versatile class, are used for a variety o ...

Gallery

File:Hoge-Blekker.Koksijde.jpg, Hoge Blekker, highest dune on the Flemish coast File:Koksijde, de Sint Pieterskerk foto2 2013-05-11 16.37.jpg, Koksijde, church: de Sint Pieterskerk File:Koksijde.jpg, Aerial view of Koksijde File:Duinen Koksijde 2.jpg, View of the dunes

Sister cities

* Albina and

Galibi The Kalina, also known as the Caribs or mainland Caribs and by several other names, are an Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous people native to the northern coastal areas of South America. Today, the Kalina live largely in villages o ...

Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...

References

External links

*
Official website
- Information available in Dutch and limited information available in French, English and German {{Authority control Municipalities of West Flanders