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Ostend

Ostend received the city charter in the 13 th century, it was a small fishing village and protected from the North Sea by a network of Dikes. The city was badly destroyed in the 2 nd World War and also in the past by seaborne invaders but at present it is a transportation hub and resort town.

Ostend Attractions

The Royal Ostend : Ostend is also called ‘The Queen of the Belgian Seaside’ because of the connections with royal Belgian family. Though the first King Leopold I owned a house in Ostend, it was King Leopold II who gave its royal character. He was so much fascinated with the city that he neglected Brussels and built number of villas from 1874.

Sea Promenade : the king Leopold II had a long gallery built in 1906 at the extreme west side of the sea Promenade.

Mausoleum of Queen Louise-Marie : the Mausoleum of the Queen, the wife of King Leopold I stands in the church of St. Peter and St. Paul. The short-lived Belgian first Queen died in Ostend in October 1850 and laid in the white marble mausoleum made in 1859 by K. Fraikin.

Monuments and Buildings

The Twin Towers (St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church) : the towers located near Ostend railway station is a neo-Gothic church built in 1904-05, by architect Delacenserie. The monument constructed with sandstone sets it apart from other churches in the province of west Flanders.

Railway Station : the entrance gate to Ostend is the railway station, the building in style with Baroque elements was constructed in 1910-13.

Thermae Palace Hotel : the hotel located next to the statue of King Leopold II, was the most prestigious hotel in Ostend.

Museums in Ostend

The James Ensor House : belonged to James Ensor and inherited the house from his uncle, who had a shell shop there. The house was open for tourist after restoration was done in 1960’s.

The Provincial Museum of Modern Art : the collections offer an overview of the recent history of Belgian art and is one of the important museums of modern art in Belgium. The museum is housed in a former department store built by Gaston Eysselick.

The Museum of Fine Arts : Henri Louis Permeke was one of the founding fathers of the museum, who was father of the famous Belgian expressionist painter Constant Permeke. During the Second World War some 400 paintings were destroyed and a new collection was acquired focused on Belgian painters.

Mercator Ship : the ship is a floating museum, used by the Belgian Navy for the instruction of the military sailors and Navy men. The ship was built in 1931 and was put out of military service in 1960 but it ready to sail out on an expedition.

Raversijde Domain : the domain where Prince Karl, brother of King Leopold III and regent of Belgium in the aftermath of WW II, spent large part of their life.

Atlantikwall : the impressive complex of tunnels and bunkers built by the Germans in the first and the second World War, where the forces occupied the Belgian Coast.

The Fort Napoleon : the only complete Napoleon fort intact in Europe located north of the city. In 1810 Napoleon Bonaparte, the then Emperor of France had the fort built after the occupation of Belgium.

Vindictive : a war memorial located from the bridge at the end of the De Smet De Naeyer Avenue. The English war ship was brought into the harbour by the English to sink and block the entrance of the harbour.