Oostduinkerke (; ; ) is a place on the southern west coast of

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 ...

, located in the 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 ...

. Once a municipality of its own, Oostduinkerke now is a sub-municipality in the municipality of

Koksijde Koksijde (; ; ) is a town and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in Belgium. It is located on the North Sea coast in the southwest of the Flanders, Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises apart from Koksijde, the v ...

. The name ''Oostduinkerke'' translates as 'East Dunkirk'. The town originally shared its name with the city of

Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

in current-day

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

; therefore, in the 13th century, ''Oost-'' was added to its name to avoid confusion with its namesake further to the west. Oostduinkerke lies amidst a

dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

area (approximately 2.4 km²; 1 sq. mi.), which is now a protected nature reserve. Oostduinkerke's sandy beach stretches from 250 to 700 metres (270 to 800 yards) at ebb-tide and extends over 30 km (20 miles), via De Panne to the beach of

(France), which explains why Oostduinkerke is popular with sand yachters and parakarters.

Shrimp fishing on horseback

Oostduinkerke is known for its

shrimp A shrimp (: shrimp (American English, US) or shrimps (British English, UK)) is a crustacean with an elongated body and a primarily Aquatic locomotion, swimming mode of locomotion – typically Decapods belonging to the Caridea or Dendrobranchi ...

ers on horseback, a considerable tourist attraction. The practice was once common across the coastal areas of 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 ...

, but today it is only present in Oostduinkerke, where 17 fishers remain active as of 2021.

Sights

Oostduinkerke has several museums. The National Fishery Museum gives a historical survey of Flemish

fishery Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life or, more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a., fishing grounds). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish far ...

and shows among other things scale models of fishing boats from 800 AD up to the present, and an original fisherman's cottage. Other museums are: 'The Key and Lock Museum' (a unique historical survey of 3,000 years of keys and locks), a regional museum 't Krekelhof (The cricket court in Dutch) (a huge collection of craft objects and curiosities from the 19th century), and Florishof (old crafts and folkloristic objects). Oostduinkerke is also home to Koksijde Golf ter Hille, a par-72 golf course. 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 ...

Images

File:Oostduinkerke mouettes.jpg, Oostduinkerke seaside apartments File:Sand-Yachting-0016-7.web.JPG, Sand-Yachting on Oostduinkerke beach File:Oostduinkerke - Sint-Niklaaskerk 2.jpg, Sint-Niklaaskerk in Oostduinkerke Cloned Paardenvisser by William Sweetlove (DSCF9833).jpg, Cloned Paardenvisser statue Shrimp fishing Brabançon draft horse in Oostduinkerke (DSCF9699).jpg, Brabançon draft horse on the beach

References

External links

National Fishery MuseumMap of the Flemish coastWebsite of the national fishing museumOfficial website
{{coord, 51, 07, N, 2, 41, E, region:BE_type:city, display=title Populated places in West Flanders Koksijde et:Wulpen Municipalities of West Flanders