Ostend: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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EUR 95 - 210 Golden Trust Apartments
 Located directly along the beach, Golden Trust Apartments offers simple and elegant accommodation.
These apartments provide you with a convenient bas… MoreEUR 52 - 163 Golden Tulip Bero Oostende
 Golden Tulip features an indoor swimming pool and fitness centre. This hotel is only 150 metres from the beach in the centre of Oostende and benefits … MoreEUR 50 - 115 Groeneveld
 This family hotel provides you with a cosy restaurant and simple, elegant rooms near the Belgian coast. Relax on the garden terrace, while the childre… MoreEUR 48 - 185 El Mirador Quality Stay - Apartments
 Experience what it’s like to live along the wonderful Belgian Coast, near the harbour of charming Ostend, and enjoy the self-catering accommodation … MoreEUR 83 - 149 Die Prince
 At its excellent location, directly on the Albert I Promenade along the beach, this stylish hotel offers comfortable rooms.
Die Prince provides a mod… MoreEUR 45 - 120 Alpha Hotel
 The Alpha Hotel is a recently refurbished, privately owned and run hotel. Centrally situated and at a short distance from promenade and shops. There i… MoreEUR 131 - 131 Andromeda Hotel & Thalassa
 With its beautiful location on the beach, the 4-star Andromeda Hotel & Thalassa offers guests a health and beauty centre with various treatments and f… MoreEUR 60 - 200 B&B Art Deco
 This bed and breakfast offers rooms in a restored Art Deco building, 1.8 km from the North Sea beach. It features a daily buffet breakfast and an inti… MoreEUR 69 - 135 De Mangerie Guesthouse
 Enjoy style and luxury in these modern guest rooms with free minibar, located along the harbour of Ostend and near the beach. Taste refined cuisine in… MoreEUR 77 - 156 Hoevehotel ´ T Kruishof
 Cosy family hotel at the border of the city and nearby the sea (800m).Tasteful interior and comfortable rooms in English style. 11 Rooms with private … MoreEUR 50 - 165 Hotel Albert II Oostende
 Come and experience the authentic, traditional atmosphere of the Hotel Albert II and stay right in the centre of the wonderful seaside resort of Osten… MoreEUR 80 - 250 Hotel Europe
 Hotel Europe offers rooms with buffet breakfast only 100 metres from the beach in Oostende city centre. It features an indoor swimming pool and free W… MoreEUR 85 - 290 Hotel Glenmore Thalasso & Spa
 Ostend, shopping city, city of culture, Queen of Seaside Resorts! If you like the cosy shopping centre, you will most certainly like Hotel Glenmore an… MoreEUR 55 - 250 Hotel Imperial
 The Imperial is situated in the heart of Ostend, in a quiet setting with excellent access to the city centre. The beach is opposite the hotel.
Imperi… MoreEUR 48 - 113 Hotel Louisa
 Situated in the centre of Ostend, only 200 metres from the beach, this hotel benefits from a bar with traditional décor. Louisa features an Art Deco … MoreEUR 45 - 184 Hotel Empire
 Located in a modern red-brick building, this friendly hotel provides a homely base with simple, elegant guest rooms and a relaxing lounge area. Benefi… MoreEUR 56 - 134 Hotel Du Parc
 Hotel Du Parc is located 100 meters from the beach, the shopping area and the Leopold Park. There is a tram stop right in front of the hotel.
Du Parc… MoreEUR 39 - 94 Hotel Ambassadeur
 Mid-town hotel near the beach and shopping centres. We have quiet rooms at the back or rooms with a nice view if you enjoy a helicopter perspective on… MoreEUR 75 - 140 Hotel Burlington
 Situated just a stone’s throw from Oostende’s stunning marina, in the heart of the city’s shopping district, this hotel benefits from a central … MoreEUR 59 - 275 Hotel du Bassin (Strandhotel)
 Hotel du Bassin is a cosy family hotel which is conveniently situated in the centre of Ostend, near the marina. Enjoy the free Wi-Fi connection.
The … MoreEUR 78 - 255 Acces Hotel
 Welcome to this comfortable and cosy 4-star hotel, where you will receive generous hospitality, high comfort levels and excellent service; all in a fa… More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ostend: Guide
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Ostend (French & Belgian Municipalities in Belgium|municipality located in the Flemish Region|Flemish Provinces of Belgium|province of West Flanders. It comprises the villages of Mariakerke, Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the largest at the Belgian coast.
History
Origin to Middle Ages
In earlier times, Ostend was nothing more than a small village built on the east-end (Dutch language|Dutch: oost-einde) of an island (called Testerep) between the North Sea and a beach lake. Although small, the village rose to the status of "city" 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 coastline has always been rather unstable and in 1395 the inhabitants decided to build a new Ostend behind large dikes and further away from the always threatening sea.
15th to 18th century
The strategic position on the North Sea coast had major advantages for Ostend as a harbor but also proved to be a source of trouble. The city was frequently taken, destroyed and rampaged by conquering armies. The most important of these events was the three-year Siege of Ostend between 1601 and 1604, with on both sides combined more than 80,000 dead or wounded. After their independence from the Spanish Empire, the Netherlands|Dutch had persevered (Protestant Dutch freedomfighters).
After this era Ostend turned into a harbour of some importance. In 1722 the Dutch closed off the entrance to the harbour of Antwerp. Therefore, Ostend rose in importance because the city provided an alternative entrance to the sea. The Southern Netherlands (now Belgium) had become part of the Austrian Empire. The Austrian Emperor Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles VI granted the city the trade monopoly with Africa and the Far-East. The Oostendse Compagnie (= the Ostend trade society) 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.
Modern era
In later times the harbour of Ostend continued to expand because the harbor 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. It no longer serves in that role today, except for freight, as an alternative channel crossing point to Calais, France. Very important for the image of the city was the attention it started to receive from the Belgian kings Leopold I of Belgium|Leopold I and Leopold II of Belgium|Leopold II. Both liked to spend their vacations in Ostend. Important monuments and villas were built to please the Royal Family. The rest of aristocratic Belgium followed and soon Ostend became known as "The Queen of the Belgian sea-side resorts".
Sights
Interesting locations are the Casino and Fort Napoleon.
Ostend is also famous for its sea-side esplanade, pier, and fine-sand beaches.
The James Ensor museum can be visited in the house where the artist lived from 1917 until 1949.
The Mercator, an educational tall ship of the Belgian merchant fleet, has been converted into a maritime museum.
Famous citizens of Ostend
Lilian Baels, princess
K.V. Oostende (football (soccer)|football)
- Information available in Dutch language|Dutch and limited information available in French language|French, English language|English and German language|German.
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Ostend". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
Auguste Marie Francois Beernaert, Prime Minister of Belgium and Nobel Peace Prize recipient
Alfred Belpaire, locomotive engineer
Jean-Marie Dedecker, politician and judo-coach
Cesar De Paepe, syndicalist
James Ensor, painter
Marvin Gaye, singer
Arno Hintjens, lead-singer of TC Matic
Stefaan Maene, backstroke swimmer
René Magritte, surrealist painter
Marie-José of Belgium, princess, then last queen of Italy
August Michiels, sculpturer, painter, engraver
Constant Permeke, expressionist painter
Leon Spilliaert, painter
Henri Storck, author, film-maker, and maker of documentaries
Robert Triffin, economist
Johan Vande Lanotte, politician
Robert Van De Walle, judoka
Bart van den Bossche, singer, actor, and radio/tv presenter
Peter Van Heirseele, aka Herr Seele, cartoonist (Cowboy Henk), painter and performer
Luc Zeebroek, aka Kamagurka, cartoonist, singer and performer Sport clubs
Basketball Club Oostende (basketball)External links
- Non-Official, although it offers lots of useful information. Cover your eyes - it's blue and orange. Information available in French, English and German.
- Site about the Ostend dialect and culture with Ostend grammatical rules. (mainly in Dutch (nl) and Ostend dialect).
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- Official website of the international airport of Ostend.
- Website of one of the local parks.