Editing De Panne (section)

==Miscellaneous==
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Famous people who have lived or died in De Panne include [[Albert I of Belgium|King Albert I]] and [[Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of Belgium|Queen Elisabeth]], and [[John Aidan Liddell]], VC, who died in De Panne in August 1915.<ref>https://www.newmp.org.uk/person/ja-liddell-1915/</ref> The Belgian royal family lived in De Panne during the [[First World War]] because it was located in the tiny fraction of their country that was not conquered by the Germans.

De Panne is home to [[Plopsaland]], a theme park aimed at young children and located on the former grounds of [[Meli Park]]. De Panne was also the place where the first [[land yacht]]s intended for sport were built and used by the Dumont brothers in 1898. On 17 July 1831, [[Leopold I of Belgium|Leopold I]], the first Belgian king, sailed to [[Calais]] from England, and arrived in Belgium in De Panne.  The Leopold I Esplanade, which includes a statue of him, commemorates his arrival.

Since 1977, the town has hosted the [[Three Days of De Panne]] cycle race, which is held in the run up to, and traditionally used by riders as preparation for the [[Tour of Flanders]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/three-days-of-de-panne-fighting-for-its-place-in-classics-calendar |title=Three Days of De Panne fighting for its place in Classics calendar |last1=Ryan |first1=Barry |date=2 April 2014 |website=[[cyclingnews.com]] |access-date=3 April 2014}}</ref>

De Panne was the site of a Belgium-England undersea telephone line laid by Siemens before the war, and therefore was used as Gort's headquarters for the evacuation of nearby [[Dunkirk]] to allow contact with England.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://atlantic-cable.com/CableStories/Hook/index.htm |title=George H.J. Hook & Herbert G. Hook and the 1926 cable sections |access-date=7 February 2024}}</ref>