In theEarly Middle Ages, Ostend was a small village built on the east-end (oost-einde) of an island (originally calledTesterep) 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. TheNorth Sea coastline has always been rather unstable due to the power of the water. In 1395 the inhabitants decided to build a new Ostend behind largedikes and further away from the always-threatening sea.
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. TheDutch rebels, theGueuzen, took control of the town. TheSiege 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 theEighty Years' War. This shocking event set in motion negotiations that led to a truce several years later. When the truce broke down, it became aDunkirker 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 ofAntwerp, theWesterschelde. Therefore, Ostend rose in importance because the town provided an alternative exit to the sea. TheBelgium Austriacum had become part of theAustrian Empire. The Austrian EmperorCharles VI granted the town the trade monopoly with Africa and the Far-East. TheOostendse 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 aJewish community in Ostend, which was first noted in the 16th century.[3]
On 19 September 1826, the localartillery 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.[4]
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 withBrussels was constructed.[citation needed] Ostend became a transit harbour to England in 1846 when the first ferry sailed toDover.[citation needed] An October 1854 meeting of American envoys led to theOstend Manifesto.[5] Important for the image of the town was the attention it started to receive from the Belgian kingsLeopold I andLeopold II. Both monarchs liked to spend their holidays in Ostend. Important monuments and villas were built to please the Royal Family, including theHippodrome Wellington horse racing track and theRoyal 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'sGlorious Revolution two years later.
Ostend (in common with nearly the entirety of the country) was occupied byGerman forces and used as an access point to the sea for submarines and other light naval forces for much of the duration ofWorld War I.[citation needed] As a consequence, the port was subjected to twonaval assaults by theRoyal Navy.
World War II involved a second occupation of the town by Germany within a period of little more than twenty years; an occupation which it shared this time with most of northern Europe. Both conflicts brought significant destruction to Ostend. In addition, other opulent buildings which had survived the wars were later replaced with structures in themodernist architecture style.
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.[8]
Ostend is known for its sea-side esplanade, including theRoyal 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, theKlein 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 fortifiedAtlantic Wall, open to the public as theAtlantic Wall Open Air Museum located inRaversijde. One can walk through the streets aroundHet Vissersplein. At certain times, there are markets in the neighbourhood streets and in the summer theVissersplein has music festivals. TheVissersplein (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.
TheJames Ensor museum can be visited in the house where the artist lived from 1917 until 1949.
TheMu.Zee (merged from theProvinciaal Museum voor de Moderne Kunst and theMuseum voor Schone Kunsten) is the museum of modern art (from the 1830s to the present) and displays works of noted local painters such asJames Ensor,Leon Spilliaert,Constant Permeke and the revolutionary post-war BelgianCOBRA movement amongst others.
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 theKöppen Climate Classification system, Ostend has amarine west coast climate, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps.[9]
Climate data for Ostend (1991–2020 normals, extremes since 1973)
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