Ostend ( ; ; ; ) is a coastal
city
A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
and
municipality in the
province of
West Flanders in the
Flemish Region 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 ...
. It comprises the boroughs of
Mariakerke,
Raversijde, Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the largest on the Belgian coast.
History
Middle Ages
In the
Early Middle Ages, Ostend was a small village built on the east-end () of an island (originally called
Testerep) between the North Sea and a beach lake. Although small, the village rose to the status of "town" around 1265, when the inhabitants were allowed to hold a market and to build a market hall.
The major source of income for the inhabitants was fishing. 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 ...
coastline has always been rather unstable due to the power of the water. In 1395 the inhabitants decided to build a new Ostend behind large
dikes and further away from the always-threatening sea.
15th–18th centuries
The strategic position on the North Sea coast had major advantages for Ostend as a harbour but also proved to be a source of trouble. The town was frequently taken, ravaged, ransacked and destroyed by conquering armies. The
Dutch rebels, the
Gueuzen, took control of the town. The
Siege of Ostend, 1601 to 1604, of which it was said that "the Spanish assailed the unassailable and the Dutch defended the indefensible", cost a combined total of more than 80,000 dead or wounded, making it the single bloodiest battle of the
Eighty Years' War. This shocking event set in motion negotiations that led to a truce several years later. When the truce broke down, it became a
Dunkirker base.
After this era, Ostend was turned into a harbour of some importance. In 1722, the Dutch again closed off the entrance to the world's biggest harbour of
Antwerp
Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
, the
Westerschelde. Therefore, Ostend rose in importance because the town provided an alternative exit to the sea. The
Belgium Austriacum had become part of the
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...
. The Austrian Emperor
Charles VI granted the town the trade monopoly with Africa and the Far-East. The
Oostendse Compagnie (Ostend trade company) was allowed to found colonies overseas. However, in 1727 the Oostendse Compagnie was forced to stop its activities because of Dutch and British pressure. The Netherlands and Britain would not allow competitors on the international trade level. Both nations regarded international trade as "their" privilege.
There was a
Jewish community in Ostend, which was first noted in the 16th century.
19th century
On 19 September 1826, the local
artillery magazine exploded. At least 20 people were killed and a further 200 injured. The affluent quarter of d'Hargras was levelled and scarcely a building in the city escaped damage. Disease followed the devastation leading to further deaths.
The harbour of Ostend continued to expand because the harbour dock, as well as the traffic connections with the hinterland, were improved. In 1838, a railway connection with
Brussels was constructed. Ostend became a transit harbour to England in 1846 when the first ferry sailed to
Dover. An October 1854 meeting of American envoys led to the
Ostend Manifesto. Important for the image of the town was the attention it started to receive from the Belgian kings
Leopold I and
Leopold II. Both monarchs liked to spend their holidays in Ostend. Important monuments and villas were built to please the Royal Family, including the
Hippodrome Wellington horse racing track and the
Royal Galleries. The rest of aristocratic Belgium followed and soon Ostend became known as "the queen of the Belgian sea-side resorts".
In 1866, Ostend was the venue for a crucial meeting of exiled Spanish Liberals and Republicans which laid the framework, the
Pact of Ostend, for a major uprising in their country, culminating in Spain's
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...
two years later.
20th century
The two world wars proved to be disastrous for Ostend. The
Belle Époque-era ended for the city in 1914 at the start of
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
when the Germans placed anti-aircraft batteries along
Fort Napoleon and in the dunes along the Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-ter-Duinenkerk. During the
German invasion of Belgium, Ostend along with
Zeebrugge fell to the Germans without fighting on October 15, after which they stationed German submarines and other light naval forces in the city for much of the duration of WWI. Near the end of the war, the British
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
tried to block Ostend twice with a
naval blockade: the
first raid took place on 23 April 1918, the
second raid on 9 May 1918.
Between the wars, the town hosted all of the
sailing events for the
1920 Summer Olympics for
Antwerp
Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
. Only the finals of the
12 foot dinghy took place in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
. Ostend also hosted the
polo events.
Ostend was once again a target at the start of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
by both the
Axis and
Allied powers. The city would face repeated bombing raids by the
Luftwaffe
The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
during the
German invasion of Belgium on 10 May 1940, destroying significant parts of the historic coastline in the process. As early as 13 and 15 May, German bombs fell in the evening and night around Fort Napoleon and the water tower in the Vuurtorenwijk. On the 17th of May more bombs were dropped, with the freight station on the Istanbul quay being hit as a result. Around this time, the fear that Ostend would be bombed heavily by the Luftwaffe started to form, prompting many to flee the city by boat to England or France. The 21st of May was the scene of another air raid on Ostend, causing big fires as a result. One of such fires was at ''Hotel Splendid'' on the corner of the Kemmelbergstraat. The beach hotel of Ostend was hit by three German bombs on the 24th of May. The hotel was used as a hospital and killed over 50 Belgian soldiers after a massive fire broke out. The next day, the 25th of May, another German bombing raid was carried out. At around 08:00 in the morning,
incindiary and
bisance bombs were dropped on the city, causing around 3 to 4 fires and killing 12 civilians as a result. The last bombing raid on the 27th of May ended up completely destroying the city hall of Ostend at the
Wapenplein as well as the city archive and paintings created by
James Ensor and
Léon Spilliaert. In total, the bombing raids between the 21st until the 27th of May caused over 75 deaths of civilians and soldiers in the city. After the German bombings stopped in May 1940, Allied bombings started in June of that year. The
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
repeatedly targeted the city due to British fears that Germany would use the strategic coastal city for a
German invasion of England. As a result, more civilians died and even more of the coastline and inner city, as well as the harbour, ended up being damaged or destroyed.
After the successful invasion of Belgium and the occupation, the Germans decided to demolish the remnants of the Kursaal and build a bunker underneath its remains. They also decided to enact the massive
Atlantic Wall in the city and heavily reinforced and defended it due to its strategic location. The city was liberated by Canadian troops on 8 September 1944. Ultimately, the many German and British raids on Ostend ended up destroying many historic houses as well as iconic buildings along the coast as well as in the inner city like the city hall,
Kursaal, post office and
Hippodrome Wellington. No other Belgian city was bombed as often and faced as much destruction as Ostend: a whopping 407 Allied bombs were dropped on the city, making Ostend the most bombed city in Belgium. Because of this, many of the damaged houses and public buildings were left standing in the city for years. It was ultimately decided that the remnants of said buildings, such as civilian houses and luxury hotels, would be torn down instead of restored after the war and reconstructed with
modernist apartment blocs due to an increasing demand in these types of buildings from the tourist sector.
21st century
Ostend's Winter in the Park festival draws more than 600,000 people to the seaside city. During December, Ostend's Christmas market, one of the largest in Europe, features vendors and food sellers along with ice skating, music and other events. A light-show tunnel on one of the major shopping streets attracts and amuses visitors from all over Belgium, Europe and beyond.
Sights
Ostend is known for its sea-side esplanade, including the
Royal Galleries of Ostend, pier, and fine-sand beaches. Ostend is visited by many day-trippers heading to the beaches, especially during July and August. Tourists from inland Belgium and from abroad mostly arrive by train (day trips) and head for the closest beach area, the ''Klein Strand'', located next to the pier. The locals and other residents in Belgium usually occupy the larger beach (het Groot Strand).
Near the beach is a well-preserved section of the fortified
Atlantic Wall, open to the public as the
Atlantic Wall Open Air Museum located in
Raversijde. One can walk through the streets around ''Het Vissersplein''. At certain times, there are markets in the neighbourhood streets and in the summer the ''Vissersplein'' has music festivals. The ''Vissersplein'' (''Bonenstraat''/''Kadzandstraat'') is a car free zone with many brasseries where patrons can sit outside and have a drink. Towards the port side there are many little fish outlets, and beyond that the ferries can be observed docking.
Notable sites include:
* the
Casino
A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...
and Fort Napoleon
*
Oostende railway station
* The ''
Mercator'', the ex–training sailing ship for Belgian merchant navy officers, now open to the public to view
*
Hippodrome Wellington,
horse racing venue
*
St Petrus and St Paulus Church, Ostend (''
Sint-Petrus-en-Pauluskerk''), built in
Neo Gothic style
*
King Leopold II statue
*Synagoge Oostende
Museums
The
James Ensor museum can be visited in the house where the artist lived from 1917 until 1949.
The
Mu.Zee (merged from the and the ) is the museum of modern art (from the 1830s to the present) and displays works of noted local painters such as
James Ensor,
Leon Spilliaert,
Constant Permeke and the revolutionary post-war Belgian
COBRA movement amongst others.
Climate
Ostend has a maritime temperate climate, influenced by winds from the North Sea, making summers cooler than inland Europe. 24-hour average temperatures below the freezing point is a rare occurrence. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification system, Ostend has a
marine west coast climate, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps.
Transport
Ostend–Bruges International Airport located 5 km (3 miles) from Ostend is primarily a freight airport but offers passenger flights to leisure destinations in
Southern Europe and Turkey.
TUI fly Belgium has its headquarters in Ostend.
TAAG Angola Airlines's Ostend offices are on the grounds of Ostend Airport.
The
Ostend railway station is a major
hub on the
National Railway Company of Belgium network with frequent InterCity trains serving
Brugge railway station,
Gent-Sint-Pieters,
Brussels South and
Liège-Guillemins on
Belgian railway line 50A. The
Coast Tram connects Ostend with
De Panne to the south and
Knokke-Heist in the north.
Ostend formerly had busy ferry routes to
Dover and
Ramsgate, but the last of these services ended with the failure of
TransEuropa Ferries in 2013.
Gallery
File:Casino Kursaal.jpg, Casino Kursaal
File:Ostend pier 20040908-002.jpg, Pier
File:20040909-003-oostende-mercator.jpg, Museum-ship, the barquentine ''Mercator''
File:Station Oostende Gebouw.jpg, Oostende railway station
Tramstation Oostende in 2009 2.jpg, Tram station
File:Watertoren Maria Hendrika park.JPG, Municipal park
File:Renbaan(07).jpg, Hippodrome Wellington
File:Peperbusse.jpg, The ''Peperbusse'', the tower of a burned down church
File:Vissershuisje Ostend.jpg, Fisherman's house from 1729 (Kapucijnenstraat)
File:Synagoge Oostende (55414).jpg, The Ostend Synagogue
Twin towns – sister cities
Ostend is
twinned with:
*
Monaco, Monaco (1958)
*
Banjul, Gambia (2003)
*
Ostende, Argentina (2021)
Notable residents
References to these notable citizens of Ostend can be found on the oostende.be website.
Sport clubs
*
BC Oostende (basketball)
*
Hermes Volley Oostende (volleyball)
*
K.V. Oostende (
football)
*
Wellington Golf Oostende (golf)
In popular culture
Ostend has been used as a film location by numerous directors. The movies ''
Place Vendôme'' with
Catherine Deneuve; ''
Daughters of Darkness'' with
Delphine Seyrig as
Countess Bathory; ''
Armaguedon''
with
Alain Delon; ''
Camping Cosmos'' with
Lolo Ferrari; and ''
Ex Drummer'', based on the novel by
Herman Brusselmans; were partially shot in Ostend.
The comic ', about a dreadful invasion of rats, is set in Ostend.
See also
*
Greenbridge science park
*
Ostend Manifesto
*
Port of Ostend
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
*
* , limited information available in French, English and German.
Toerisme Oostende – English edition – extensive.
{{Authority control
Municipalities of West Flanders
Olympic sailing venues
Populated coastal places in Belgium
Port cities and towns in Belgium
Port cities and towns of the North Sea
Ports and harbours of the English Channel
Seaside resorts in Belgium
Venues of the 1920 Summer Olympics
Olympic polo venues