Editing Ostend (section)

==History==

===Middle Ages===
In the [[Early Middle Ages]], Ostend was a small village built on the east-end ({{lang|nl|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 [[North 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 large [[Dike (construction)|dikes]] and further away from the always-threatening sea.

===15th–18th centuries===
[[File:Ostend, Belgium ; Ferraris Map.jpg|thumb|left|Ostend on the [[Ferraris map]] (around 1775)]]
[[Image:Sint-Petrus-en-Pauluskerk (Oostende) 1-08-2024 13-43-45.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Sint-Petrus-en-Pauluskerk|St Petrus and St Paulus Church]]]]

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 [[Dutch people|Dutch]] rebels, the [[Geuzen|Gueuzen]], took control of the town. The [[Siege 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 the [[Eighty Years' War]]. This shocking event set in motion negotiations that led to a truce several years later.  When the truce broke down, it became a [[Dunkirker]] 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 of [[Antwerp]], the [[Westerschelde]]. Therefore, Ostend rose in importance because the town provided an alternative exit to the sea. The [[Southern Netherlands|Belgium Austriacum]] had become part of the [[Austrian Empire]]. The Austrian Emperor [[Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles VI]] granted the town the trade monopoly with Africa and the Far-East. The [[Oostendse 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 a [[Jewish community]] in Ostend, which was first noted in the 16th century.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ostend |url=https://jguideeurope.org/en/region/belgium/ostende/ |website=JGuide Europe |access-date=21 June 2024}}</ref>

===19th century===
On 19 September 1826, the local [[artillery 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.<ref>''The Explosion at Ostend'', [[The Manchester Guardian and British Volunteer]], 30 September 1826</ref>

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|date=August 2017}} Ostend became a transit harbour to England in 1846 when the first ferry sailed to [[Dover]]. {{Citation needed|date=August 2017}}  An October 1854 meeting of American envoys led to the [[Ostend Manifesto]].<ref>[[David M. Potter|Potter, David M.]] and [[Don E. Fehrenbacher|Fehrenbacher, Don M.]] (1976), ''The Impending Crisis, 1848-1861'', reprint, n.d., New York: Harper Torchbooks, Ch.8, "The Ebb Tide of Manifest Destiny," p. 190.  {{ISBN|0-06-131929-5}} .</ref>   Important for the image of the town 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 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 of Ostend|Royal Galleries]]. The rest of aristocratic Belgium followed and soon Ostend became known as "the queen of the Belgian sea-side resorts".{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}

In 1866, Ostend was the venue for a crucial meeting of exiled Spanish Liberals and Republicans which laid the framework, the [[Pact of Ostend]], for a major uprising in their country, {{citation needed|date=August 2017}} culminating in Spain's [[Glorious Revolution (Spain)|Glorious Revolution]] two years later.

===20th century===
The two world wars proved to be disastrous for Ostend. The [[Belle Époque]]-era ended for the city in 1914 at the start of [[World War I]] when the Germans placed anti-aircraft batteries along [[Fort Napoleon, Ostend|Fort Napoleon]] and in the dunes along the Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-ter-Duinenkerk. During the [[German invasion of Belgium (1914)|German invasion of Belgium]], Ostend along with [[Zeebrugge]] fell to the Germans without fighting on October 15,<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Skinner |first1=Henry Terence |url=https://archive.org/details/principalevents100grea |title=History of the Great War Based on Official Documents. Principal Events, 1914–1918 |last2=Stacke |first2=Harry Fitz Maurice |date=1922 |publisher=H.M. Stationery Office |location=London |page=[https://archive.org/details/principalevents100grea/page/n435 19]}}</ref> after which they stationed German submarines and other light naval forces in the city for much of the duration of WWI. Near the end of the war, the British [[Royal Navy]] tried to block Ostend twice with a [[Blockade|naval blockade]]: the [[First Ostend Raid|first raid]] took place on 23 April 1918, the [[Second Ostend Raid|second raid]] on 9 May 1918.

Between the wars, the town hosted all of the [[Sailing at the 1920 Summer Olympics|sailing]] events for the [[1920 Summer Olympics]] for [[Antwerp]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1920/SAI/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417060243/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1920/SAI/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2020 |title=1920 Summer Olympics sailing |publisher=Sports-reference.com |access-date=22 April 2011}}</ref> Only the finals of the [[12 foot dinghy]] took place in [[Amsterdam]]. Ostend also hosted the [[Polo at the 1920 Summer Olympics|polo]] events.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1920/POL/mens-polo.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418132515/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1920/POL/mens-polo.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 April 2020 |title=1920 Summer Olympics polo |publisher=Sports-reference.com |access-date=22 April 2011}}</ref>

Ostend was once again a target at the start of [[World War II]] by both the [[Axis powers|Axis]] and [[Allies of World War II|Allied powers]]. The city would face repeated bombing raids by the [[Luftwaffe]] during the [[German invasion of Belgium (1940)|German invasion of Belgium]] on 10 May 1940, destroying significant parts of the historic coastline in the process. As early as 13 and 15 May, German bombs fell in the evening and night around Fort Napoleon and the water tower in the Vuurtorenwijk. On the 17th of May more bombs were dropped, with the freight station on the Istanbul quay being hit as a result.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archief.oostende.be/product.aspx?id=15309/|title=De oorlog 1940-45 door Pierre Logghe, Kapitein Argentijnse diepzeevisserij: Deel 01. De vlucht|date=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/365471.pdf|title=Oostende 1944-45, Britse oorlogshaven|date=1985}}</ref> Around this time, the fear that Ostend would be bombed heavily by the Luftwaffe started to form, prompting many to flee the city by boat to England or France.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archief.oostende.be/product.aspx?id=13510|title=Georges Claeys over zijn lotgevallen als Oostends vluchteling in Engeland: Deel 01. Dagboek|date=}}</ref> The 21st of May was the scene of another air raid on Ostend, causing big fires as a result. One of such fires was at ''Hotel Splendid'' on the corner of the Kemmelbergstraat.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archief.oostende.be/product.aspx?id=7835|title=verslag van Lt. Paul Berquin van het optreden der Brandweer van Nieuwpoort te Oostende gedurende de maand mei 1940|date=}}</ref> The beach hotel of Ostend was hit by three German bombs on the 24th of May. The hotel was used as a hospital and killed over 50 Belgian soldiers after a massive fire broke out.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pieterserrien.be/2010/10/11/bombardementen-in-belgie-tijdens-woii/|title=Bombardementen in België tijdens WOII|date=11 October 2010}}</ref> The next day, the 25th of May, another German bombing raid was carried out. At around 08:00 in the morning, [[Incendiary device|incindiary]] and [[Brisance|bisance]] bombs were dropped on the city, causing around 3 to 4 fires and killing 12 civilians as a result.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archief.oostende.be/product.aspx?id=7835|title=Verslag van Lt. Paul Berquin van het optreden der Brandweer van Nieuwpoort te Oostende gedurende de maand mei 1940|date=}}</ref> The last bombing raid on the 27th of May ended up completely destroying the city hall of Ostend at the [[Wapenplein]] as well as the city archive and paintings created by [[James Ensor]] and [[Léon Spilliaert]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/en/2019/06/04/how-ostend-arose-from-the-ashes-of-the-second-world-war/|title=How Ostend rose from the ashes of the Second World War|date=6 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stretto.be/2020/01/20/vernieling-en-wederopbouw-oostende-1944-1958/|title=Vernieling en wederopbouw – Oostende 1944-1958|date=20 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://willydezutter.be/?tag=thomas-blake-jr/|title=Het portret van Auguste Wieland (1756-1833) door kunstschilder Emile Bulcke (1875-1963)|date=2 January 2023}}</ref> In total, the bombing raids between the 21st until the 27th of May caused over 75 deaths of civilians and soldiers in the city.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pieterserrien.be/2015/05/21/duitse-bombardementen-op-belgie-tijdens-de-tweede-wereldoorlog/|title=Duitse bombardementen op België tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog|date=21 May 2015}}</ref> After the German bombings stopped in May 1940, Allied bombings started in June of that year. The [[Royal Air Force]] repeatedly targeted the city due to British fears that Germany would use the strategic coastal city for a [[Operation Sea Lion|German invasion of England]]. As a result, more civilians died and even more of the coastline and inner city, as well as the harbour, ended up being damaged or destroyed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/365471.pdf|title=Oostende 1944-45, Britse oorlogshaven|date=1985}}</ref>
[[File:Duitse machinegeweerstellingen voor het Kurhaus in Oostende, Bestanddeelnr 31040 011.tif|thumb|German machine gunner firing at Allied planes in front of the Kursaal in June 1940]]
After the successful invasion of Belgium and the occupation, the Germans decided to demolish the remnants of the Kursaal and build a bunker underneath its remains. They also decided to enact the massive [[Atlantic Wall]] in the city and heavily reinforced and defended it due to its strategic location.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/en/2019/06/04/how-ostend-arose-from-the-ashes-of-the-second-world-war/|title=How Ostend rose from the ashes of the Second World War|date=6 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://oostende.org/nl/museum/9531/atlantikwall.html|title=Atlantikwall - Museum|date=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indegazette.be/verborgen-geschiedenis-twee-oostendse-leraren-worden-spionnen-en-veranderen-de-geschiedenis-in-nieuw-boek/|title=Verborgen geschiedenis: Twee Oostendse leraren worden spionnen en veranderen de geschiedenis in nieuw boek|date=12 July 2024}}</ref> The city was liberated by Canadian troops on 8 September 1944.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/u739lj90|title='De oorlog heeft Oostende destijds zwaar getroffen'|date=3 May 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/365471.pdf|title=Oostende 1944-45, Britse oorlogshaven|date=1985}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/16305/oostende-new-communal-cemetery/#:~:text=From%20the%207th%20to%20the,and%20bombed%20by%20Allied%20airmen.|title=Oostende new communal cemetery|date=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://appartement-met-zeezicht.be/oostende/erfgoedlocaties-oostende-tweede-wereldoorlog/|title=80 jaar na het einde van de Tweede Wereldoorlog. Bezoek deze erfgoedlocaties in Oostende|date=19 April 2025}}</ref> Ultimately, the many German and British raids on Ostend ended up destroying many historic houses as well as iconic buildings along the coast as well as in the inner city like the city hall, [[Casino Kursaal|Kursaal]], post office and [[Hippodrome Wellington]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/u739lj90|title='De oorlog heeft Oostende destijds zwaar getroffen'|date=3 May 2011}}</ref> No other Belgian city was bombed as often and faced as much destruction as Ostend: a whopping 407 Allied bombs were dropped on the city, making Ostend the most bombed city in Belgium.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indegazette.be/verborgen-geschiedenis-twee-oostendse-leraren-worden-spionnen-en-veranderen-de-geschiedenis-in-nieuw-boek/|title=Verborgen geschiedenis: Twee Oostendse leraren worden spionnen en veranderen de geschiedenis in nieuw boek|date=12 July 2024}}</ref> Because of this, many of the damaged houses and public buildings were left standing in the city for years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://appartement-met-zeezicht.be/oostende/erfgoedlocaties-oostende-tweede-wereldoorlog/|title=80 jaar na het einde van de Tweede Wereldoorlog. Bezoek deze erfgoedlocaties in Oostende|date=19 April 2025}}</ref> It was ultimately decided that the remnants of said buildings, such as civilian houses and luxury hotels, would be torn down instead of restored after the war and reconstructed with [[modernist architecture|modernist]] apartment blocs due to an increasing demand in these type of buildings from the tourist sector.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/en/2019/06/04/how-ostend-arose-from-the-ashes-of-the-second-world-war/|title=How Ostend rose from the ashes of the Second World War|date=6 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stretto.be/2020/01/20/vernieling-en-wederopbouw-oostende-1944-1958/|title=Vernieling en wederopbouw – Oostende 1944-1958|date=20 January 2020}}</ref>

===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.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://hetostendsnieuws.be/economie/toerisme-oostende/kerstvakantie-trok-600-000-mensen-naar-de-kust |title=Kerstvakantie trok 600.000 mensen naar de kust |date=6 January 2020}}</ref>