Editing Blankenberge (section)

== Seaside resort ==
As early as the first half of the 18th century, tourists came to '''Blankenberghe''' (spelling influenced by French). The Brugsesteenweg was built in 1723. This not only ensured a growing export of fish but also an easy connection for the inhabitants of Bruges who came to the sea for a day of relaxation. There was no such thing as sea bathing at that time. Bathing developed under the influence of English tourism in the 19th century.<ref>{{Citation | publisher = Karl Baedeker | location = Coblenz | title = Belgium and Holland | date = 1869 | oclc = 18168820 | url = https://archive.org/details/belgiumandholla12firgoog|page=8 }}</ref> The first bathing cabins appeared on the beach in 1838. Shortly afterwards, a wooden seawall was built and the first hotels appeared. In 1859 the impressive Casino Kursaal was built. 

On 16 August 1863, the Heist-Bruges railway opened, with a stop in Blankenberge. This made Blankenberge much more accessible for (wealthier) tourists, who previously could only reach Blankenberge by carriages along cobblestone roads or by boats (see tourist information in 1905 travel guide Pages 210 and 211 and Blad 212).
[[File:The beach and Kursaal, (i.e., Cursaal), Blankenberghe, Belgium-LCCN2001697885.jpg|thumb|The beach, bathing machines and Kursaal c 1900s. [[Photochrom|Photochrome]] ]]
By the end of the 19th century, the seawall was filled with luxury hotels and holiday villas. A cast-iron pier (1893–1894) was also constructed, the first 350-metre structure out to sea on the European mainland. During the [[Belle époque]], the fashionable Blankenberge was the favorite holiday destination of the Belgian beau monde; only the crowned heads, the nobility, prominent politicians, artists and the rich bourgeoisie could afford to spend their summer holidays in their second residence by the sea. Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the Habsburg Empire, for example, regularly visited. Growing tourism provided employment and prosperity for the city. The population grew strongly. The cast iron pier was replaced by a concrete pier in 1933 and the old casino was replaced by a new Art Deco casino (1932–1934). The villas and hotels along the seawall were almost completely destroyed during the Second World War. In the reconstruction, quality and solidity were more important than aesthetics. In the mid-1950s, elite hotels such as the Hôtel des Bains et des Familles made way for cheaper, less luxurious apartment buildings and popular campsites. The tourists soon found their way back to Blankenberge, but the public had changed. With the increasing prosperity in the 1960s and 1970s, mass tourism also made its appearance in Blankenberge and from then on it mainly attracted the working and middle class from the Belgian interior. The population continues to swell in the summer months. The infrastructure to accommodate these tourists is still expanding.