Koksijde (; french: Coxyde ; vls, Koksyde) 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, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

. It is 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 Norwegian S ...

coast in the southwest of the

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium ...

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 ...

. The municipality comprises apart from Koksijde, the villages of

Oostduinkerke Oostduinkerke (; french: Ostdunkerque ; vls, Ôostduunkerke) is a place in the Belgian province of West Flanders, where it is located on the southern west coast of Belgium. Once a municipality of its own, Oostduinkerke now is a sub-municipali ...

, Saint-Idesbald and Wulpen. On 1 January 2018, Koksijde municipality had a total population of 21,957 on a total area of 43.96 km² (17 sq mi), which gives a

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

of 499 inhabitants per km² (1251/sq mi). Since 1995 Marc Vanden Bussche has been mayor of Koksijde.

Municipality

The municipality of Koksijde comprises the "

deelgemeente A deelgemeente (, literally ''part-municipality'') or section (French) 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 Ja ...

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 hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a lake or the seabed # Flood plain ...

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

Veurne Veurne (; french: Furnes, italic=no, ) is a city and municipality in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Veurne proper and the settlements of , , , , , Houtem, , , Wulveringem, and . History Origins ...

(city) *e.

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 conurbatio ...

(municipality De Panne) *f.

De Panne De Panne (; french: La 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 ...

(municipality)

Tourism

The museum of the historical Ten Duinen Abbey 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 Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...

throughout history and showing the daily life of

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, 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 Sain ...

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. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

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

Battle of Dunkirk The Battle of Dunkirk (french: Bataille de Dunkerque, link=no) was fought around the French port of Dunkirk (Dunkerque) during the Second World War, between the Allies and Nazi Germany. As the Allies were losing the Battle of France on t ...

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

Sports

The annual

Duinencross Koksijde The Duinencross Koksijde ("Cyclo-cross of Dunes") is a cyclo-cross race held in Koksijde, Belgium since 1969. It is part of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup The UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup is a season-long competition in cyclo-cross, organised by t ...

cyclo-cross 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). First held in the 1993–1994 season, there are currently five awards, tailored to the different categories of riders ...

, 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 2020, six events are organized each year – men's elite, women's elite, men's under 23, wome ...

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 ...

Gallery

Image: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 Image:Koksijde.jpg, Aerial view of Koksijde

Sister cities

* Albina and

Galibi The Kalina, also known as the Caribs or mainland Caribs and by several other names, are an indigenous people native to the northern coastal areas of South America. Today, the Kalina live largely in villages on the rivers and coasts of Venezuela, ...

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

References

External links

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