Ostend
Ostend
Oostende (Dutch) Ostende (French) | |
---|---|
City and municipality | |
Location in Belgium
Location of Ostend in West Flanders CD&V | |
Area | |
• Total | 40.95 km2 (15.81 sq mi) |
Population (2022-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 71,557 |
• Density | 1,700/km2 (4,500/sq mi) |
Postal codes | 8400 |
NIS code | 35013 |
Area codes | 059 |
Website | www |
Ostend (
History
Origin to Middle Ages
In the Early Middle Ages, Ostend was a small village built on the east-end (oost-einde) 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
15th to 18th century
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
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
19th century
On 19 September 1826, the local
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. [citation needed] Ostend became a transit harbour to England in 1846 when the first ferry sailed to Dover. [citation needed] An October 1854 meeting of American envoys led to the Ostend Manifesto.[4] 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".[citation needed]
In 1866, Ostend was the venue for a crucial meeting of exile Spanish Liberals and Republicans which laid the framework for a major uprising in their country, [citation needed] culminating in Spain's Glorious Revolution two years later.
20th century
Ostend (in common with nearly the entirety of the country) was occupied by
The town hosted all of the sailing events for the 1920 Summer Olympics for Antwerp.[5] Only the finals of the 12 foot dinghy were sailed in Amsterdam. Ostend also hosted the polo events.[6]
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.[7]
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
Notable sites include:
- the Casino and Fort Napoleon, Ostend
- 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
- Neo Gothicstyle
- King Leopold II statue
Museums
The James Ensor museum can be visited in the house where the artist lived from 1917 until 1949.
The
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
Climate data for Ostend (1991–2020 normals, extremes since 1973) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 14.0 (57.2) |
17.8 (64.0) |
23.7 (74.7) |
25.6 (78.1) |
31.8 (89.2) |
32.9 (91.2) |
37.8 (100.0) |
35.6 (96.1) |
32.1 (89.8) |
26.9 (80.4) |
19.2 (66.6) |
15.0 (59.0) |
37.8 (100.0) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.8 (44.2) |
7.5 (45.5) |
10.2 (50.4) |
13.5 (56.3) |
16.6 (61.9) |
19.3 (66.7) |
21.5 (70.7) |
21.9 (71.4) |
19.3 (66.7) |
15.1 (59.2) |
10.5 (50.9) |
7.3 (45.1) |
14.1 (57.4) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.1 (39.4) |
4.4 (39.9) |
6.5 (43.7) |
9.2 (48.6) |
12.6 (54.7) |
15.4 (59.7) |
17.4 (63.3) |
17.6 (63.7) |
15.0 (59.0) |
11.4 (52.5) |
7.6 (45.7) |
4.8 (40.6) |
10.5 (50.9) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.4 (34.5) |
1.3 (34.3) |
2.9 (37.2) |
4.8 (40.6) |
8.6 (47.5) |
11.5 (52.7) |
13.4 (56.1) |
13.2 (55.8) |
10.7 (51.3) |
7.8 (46.0) |
4.7 (40.5) |
2.2 (36.0) |
6.9 (44.4) |
Record low °C (°F) | −15.0 (5.0) |
−12.3 (9.9) |
−11.3 (11.7) |
−4.9 (23.2) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
2.6 (36.7) |
3.3 (37.9) |
5.0 (41.0) |
0.6 (33.1) |
−5.4 (22.3) |
−7.4 (18.7) |
−11.0 (12.2) |
−15.0 (5.0) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 62.1 (2.44) |
56.2 (2.21) |
47.3 (1.86) |
40.6 (1.60) |
53.9 (2.12) |
62.5 (2.46) |
67.6 (2.66) |
83.6 (3.29) |
74.0 (2.91) |
79.7 (3.14) |
87.6 (3.45) |
85.8 (3.38) |
800.9 (31.52) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) | 11.9 | 10.5 | 9.5 | 8.3 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.3 | 9.7 | 9.8 | 12.1 | 13.5 | 13.7 | 126.3 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 66 | 86 | 144 | 206 | 230 | 232 | 238 | 223 | 171 | 121 | 68 | 54 | 1,839 |
Source 1: Royal Meteorological Institute[9] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: Infoclimat[10] |
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.[11] TAAG Angola Airlines's Ostend offices are on the grounds of Ostend Airport.[12]
The
Ostend formerly had busy ferry routes to
Gallery
-
Casino Kursaal
-
Pier
-
Museum-ship, the barquentine Mercator
-
Tramstation
-
Municipal park
-
The Peperbusse, the tower of a burned down church
-
Fisherman's house from 1729 (Kapucijnenstraat)
Twin towns – sister cities
Notable residents
References to these notable citizens of Ostend can be found on the oostende.be website.[15]
- Lilian Baels, princess
- Auguste Marie Francois Beernaert, prime minister and Nobel Peace Prizerecipient
- Alfred Belpaire, locomotive engineer
- Gerard Brackx, tourism
- John Crombez, politician
- Cesar De Paepe, syndicalist
- James Ensor, painter
- Jelle Florizoone, actor
- Marvin Gaye, musician
- Johannes Gysius, historian[16]
- Arno Hintjens, lead singer of TC Matic
- Karel Jonckheere, writer
- Mimi Lamote, businesswoman
- Stefaan Maene, backstroke swimmer
- Hubert Minnebo, sculptor
- Marie-José of Belgium, princess, then last queen of Italy
- Divock Origi, footballer (born here but grew up elsewhere)
- queen of the Belgians
- Constant Permeke, expressionist painter
- Roger Remaut, painter
- Raoul Servais, filmmaker
- Gustaaf Sorel, painter
- Leon Spilliaert, painter
- Henri Storck, author, filmmaker, and documentarian
- Robert Triffin, economist
- Robert Van De Walle, judoka
- Bart van den Bossche, singer, actor, and radio/TV presenter
- Peter Van Heirseele (Herr Seele), cartoonist (Cowboy Henk), painter and performer
- Johan Vande Lanotte, politician
- Rudolf Vanmoerkerke, businessman
- Katrien Vermeire, artist
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
The comic Le Bal du rat mort , about a dreadful invasion of rats, is set in Ostend.
See also
References
- ^ "Bevolking per gemeente op 1 januari 2022". Statbel.
- ISBN 9783411040667
- The Manchester Guardian and British Volunteer, 30 September 1826
- ISBN 0-06-131929-5.
- ^ "1920 Summer Olympics sailing". Sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
- ^ "1920 Summer Olympics polo". Sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
- ^ "Kerstvakantie trok 600.000 mensen naar de kust". 6 January 2020.
- ^ "Climate Summary for Ostend, Belgium". Weatherbase.com. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
- ^ "Klimaatstatistiek van de Belgische gemeenten" (PDF) (in Dutch). Royal Meteorological Institute. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ "Normales et records climatologiques 1991-2020 à Oostende" (in French). Infoclimat. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- Jetairfly. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
- ^ "TAAG Offices Archived 29 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine." TAAG Angola Airlines. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- ^ "[1][permanent dead link].". Retrieved 1 April 2017.
- ^ "Internationaal". oostende.be (in Dutch). Ostend. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ "Oostendse biografieën". Archief.oostende.be. Archived from the original on 7 March 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
- ^ Kranenborg, J.B. "Ancestors of Cornelis Leendert de Groot". Ninth Generation. Retrieved 25 August 2013.[permanent dead link]
- IMDb
- ^ "Armaguedon". French.imdb.com. 1 May 2009. Archived from the original on 12 March 2007. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
Further reading
- Hendy, John (1991). The Dover–Ostend Line. Staplehurst, Kent: Ferry Publications. ISBN 095135065X.
- Pattheeuws, Stephen (2015). The Ostend Ferry: From Start to Finish. Ramsey, Isle of Man: Ferry Publications. ISBN 9781906608804.
External links
- Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 20 (11th ed.). 1911. .
- Official website (in Dutch), limited information available in French, English and German.
- Toerisme Oostende – English edition – extensive Archived 9 February 2006 at the Wayback Machine.