Ostend in Belgium is a famous world-class resort located on the North Sea. It is known for its wide beaches, excellent services and many historical and cultural attractions.
Top 6 attractions in Ostend
Ostend is famous for the fact that in the 17th century it was the main stronghold of Calvinism – one of the Protestant teachings in Europe. Catholic Spain laid siege to this city in order to destroy the heretics, and afterwards destroyed it all to the ground.
In the 19th century Ostend became a fashionable seaside resort. The Thermal Palace was built here, where the Belgian king, German emperors and monarchs of many other European powers often came.
Raverside Museums
On the outskirts of Ostend, among the dunes, there are several museums: the restored Prince Charles’ estate, fortifications called the Atlantic rampart, and archaeological excavations on the site of a medieval fishing village.
These lands belonged to the King of Belgium at the beginning of the last century. The Atlantic rampart was built during the two worlds. And after the war, his residence was erected at the behest of Prince Charles.
And excavations at the site of the ancient settlement began in the second half of the 19th century. There, archaeologists found the remains of fishermen’s homes, ancient women’s jewelry and other artifacts. All of this is now in the Brussels Museum of Archaeology.
Aquarium
In the harbor of Ostend stands an old building, where there used to be a shrimp base. Now there is the city Aquarium, where you can see different representatives of flora and fauna of the North Sea.
There are no bright tropical fish in this aquarium, the local inhabitants are much more familiar to the Russian tourist, who are well known fish and other marine animals of our northern rivers and seas. It’s definitely worth seeing in Ostend.
The aquarium was opened in the 1970s of the 20th century. Thanks to local fishermen, it is constantly expanding its collection of residents: fish, crustaceans, echinoderms, etc. Today there are 13 aquariums, shell showcases, fossil animals, etc.
Fort Napoleon
This fort, too, is located in the dunes on the North Sea near Ostend. It was built during the Napoleonic wars in Europe for a possible invasion of Great Britain by the great Corsican.
In those early days, Ostend was part of France. Napoleon himself gave the order to build the fort. It was not only a base for a possible invasion, but also for the defense of Ostend against the troops of the British Empire.
This is a very powerful structure, the walls of which are up to 2 meters thick. According to the documents it took more than 8 million to build it. bricks. During both world wars the fort was used by the Germans occupying Ostend.
Capuchin Church
This temple was built in the early 17th century, today it is the oldest building in the city. Originally the church had one nave, and by the mid-17th century a second nave was added to it.
The church belonged to a monastery where several dozen brothers lived. Local fishermen and sailors and their families came here to pray, so the church soon became known as the Sailors’ Church.
The church and the Capuchin monastery were financed by the city government. During plague epidemics, a hospital was organized here. At the end of the 18th century the monastery was sold and then dismantled. And the Church of the Capuchins is now recognized as a monument of architecture.
Spanish House
It is one of the oldest surviving buildings in Ostend from the 17th century siege. The Spanish House was erected in the mid-18th century when the city was under Austrian rule.
In the beginning people lived in the house, and later it was used as a laundry, a children’s toy store, etc. There were many houses with this architecture in Ostend until the middle of the last century, but later they were demolished to build more modern buildings.
In the 1980s, the Spanish Year was in disrepair and could simply collapse, but it was bought by the city, dismantled and saved. And at the beginning of our century the house was reconstructed and recognized as a monument of architecture.
Maritime Museum
The three-masted sailing ship Mercator was built in Scotland and served in the Belgian merchant fleet for 30 years. Then the ship was restored, and on board it the city authorities set up a museum dedicated to maritime affairs and seafarers.
The sailboat is in excellent condition and is of great interest to tourists and local teenagers who dream of becoming sailors. It stands in the harbor of Ostend, not far from the railway station. Every year the sailboat is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world.
The ship sailed under the British flag during World War II, and after the war it needed an overhaul. At one time he brought a statue of the local deity to Belgium from Easter Island, participated in various regattas and won some of them.
