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Oostende
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Oostende, one of the main ferry harbours to Britain, can be reached by the main ferry, catamaran and train links. It is connected by canal to Bruges and Ghent and has its own airport. The ferry line between Oostende and Dover is now operated by British companies such as Hover Speed and Fast Ferries. There are direct trains to Brussels Centraale, including Eurostar lines, every hour, from the main station on the eastern edge between the Marina andthe Vissers Kaai. The station itself is worth seeing, and has Baroque-influenced architecture. The adjacent tram line has over 70 stops.
Eurostar trains between St Pancras International and Oostende have average journey times of 1 hour, 41 minute; the route passes through Lille. The Belgian rail network makes access to Brussels even more popular and easier for tourists via high speed rail. The optimum time to book tickets is for late spring or early autumn, as this is the best time to enjoy the beach resorts. Oostende is in western Belgium, on the North Sea. Its significance is not only because of its port, but also because of its rail network and industries (such as soap, ships, tobacco, chemicals and processed food), and its beach resort (Oostende is called the “Queen of the Belgian Seaside Resorts”). The city, a Nazi submarine base during World War I, and bombed by the Allies in World War II, was originally a port in the 11th century fortified by William the Silent in 1583. It played a role in the Dutch gaining independence. Oostende was almost entirely destroyed in 1604 after a siege by Ambrogio Spinola and the Spanish. It has a current population of about 69000 inhabitants and was one of Europe’s most fashionable centres for high society. Fishing is also important, which is reflected in the local specialities, including dishes like Sole à l'Ostendaise' (sole with white wine sauce and shrimps), 'Tomate Crevette' (tomato filled with shrimps) and 'Paling in 't groen' (eel in green sauce with parsley, spinach and green herbs). |
Points of Interest
| ’Fort Napoleon' North of the city centre, this is the only intact Napoleonic fortress in Europe, and was used as a German officer barracks in WWII; it then became a local school playground and is now a training ground for climbers. Napoleon Bonaparte had it constructed in 1810 during the French occupation of Belgium, forcing Spanish prisoners of war to build it with local bricklayers. | |
| Saint Peter and Saint Paul's church The 20th neo-gothic century church (circa 1904/1905) was designed by architect Delacenserie, and is different from other West-Flanders churches because it is made of sandstone instead of bricks. The church has twin towers, the mausoleum for Belgium's first queen, Louise-Marie, and stained-glass windows depicting Belgian Kings. An older tower, the 'Peperbusse', is the remainder of a former 18th century church that stood at the site before being destroyed by fire in 1896. It now houses a small museum. | |
| The Mausoleum of Queen Louise-Marie Queen Louise-Marie, wife of the first king of Belgium, Leopold I (Leopold of Saxonia Coburg) died in 1850 at the age of 38 and was buried in the mausoleum that lies in the church of St Peter and St Paul, made of white marble in 1859 by K. Fraikin. | |
| Street Names in Oostende Many of the streets in Oostende are named after members of the Royal Family, because of the city's connections to them: | |
| The Harbour The main area is across the bridge at the end of the 'De Smet-De Naeyer' boulevard, marked by a lighthouse called 'Lange where the freight harbour is being developed. The new sealock allows ships of up to 10.000 tons to enter. The canal 'Oostende-Plassendale' links with the hinterland. The 'Mercator' is located here.
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| The James Ensor House The house is open The Belgian artist spent most of his productive years in the house inherited from his uncle. There was once a shell shop, which his uncle owned- a reconstruction of this is on the ground floor. The museum has been open since 1960, after it was restored, and has a documentation center on the first floor and a lounge workshop on the second floor. There are only artistic reproductions on display, not original pieces. The James Ensor house is open during the Easter holidays, from June till September (10am-12pm, 2-5pm) and in the weekends of Christmas holiday season. | |
| The Provincial Museum of Modern Art This collection, owned by the West Flanders Province, shows a rich overview of modern art in Belgium’s recent history. The museum currently consists of over 2000 pieces, and artists represented here include: Prosper de Troyer, Victor Servranckx, Jean Milo, Edgard Tytgat, Jean Brusselmans, Leon Spilliaert, Jozef Peeters, Rene Magritte ('Le Forgeron' from 1920), expressionists Albert Servaes, Georges Minne, Frits Van den Berghe, Gustaaf De Smet and Constant Permeke. More recent movements such as geometrical art, construtivism, New Painting, Hyperrealism, Pop Art, etc., are also presented. | |
| The Museum of Fine Arts Henri-Louis Permeke, father of the Belgian expressionist painter Constant Permeke), was one the museum’s founders. A new collection was acquired after the end of WWII that focused on Oostende painters, including Constant Permeke and Jan de Clerck. Exhibits in the museum are: |