Oostduinkerke
Encyclopedia
Oostduinkerke is a popular seaside resort
in the Belgian
province of West Flanders. The name Oostduinkerke translates as 'East Dunkirk'. The town originally shared its name with the French
city of Dunkirk; therefore, in the 13th century, 'Oost-' was added to its name to avoid confusion with its French counterpart.
Oostduinkerke is part of Koksijde
, which also includes St-Idesbald and Wulpen
.
Oostduinkerke lies amidst a dune
area (approximately 2.4 km²), which is now a protected nature reserve.
To go for walks in the nature reserves (7 km²) or on the beach
(8 km) or on the promenade (3.6 km) is a refreshing experience. The sandy beach stretches from 250 to 700 m at ebb-tide and extends over 30 km, via De Panne to the beach of Dunkirk (France), which explains why Oostduinkerke is popular with sand yachters and parakarters.
Oostduinkerke is known for its shrimp
ers on horseback, a considerable tourist attraction. It is the only place in the world where you can see such shrimpers. Fishery folklore is still very much alive.
Oostduinkerke has several museums. The National Fishery Museum gives a historical survey of Flemish
fishery
and shows among other things scale models of fishing boats from 800 AD up to the present, and an original fisherman's cottage. Other museums are: 'The Key and Lock Museum' (a unique historical survey of 3,000 years of keys and locks), a regional museum 't Krekelhof (a huge collection of craft objects and curiosities from the 19th century), and Florishof (old crafts and folkloristic objects).
The British Military Cemetery (1940-1945) bears witness to British sacrifices in the Battle of Dunkirk.
Seaside resort
A seaside resort is a resort, or resort town, located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- Overview :...
in the Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
province of West Flanders. The name Oostduinkerke translates as 'East Dunkirk'. The town originally shared its name with the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
city of Dunkirk; therefore, in the 13th century, 'Oost-' was added to its name to avoid confusion with its French counterpart.
Oostduinkerke is part of Koksijde
Koksijde
Koksijde is a municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders on the North Sea coast, at the southwest side. It comprises the towns of Koksijde proper, Oostduinkerke, St-Idesbald and Wulpen.-Statistics:...
, which also includes St-Idesbald and Wulpen
Wulpen
* Wulpen , a village in Belgium, part of the municipality of Koksijde* Wulpen , a former island in the Netherlands...
.
Dune
In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by wind. Dunes occur in different forms and sizes, formed by interaction with the wind. Most kinds of dunes are longer on the windward side where the sand is pushed up the dune and have a shorter "slip face" in the lee of the wind...
area (approximately 2.4 km²), which is now a protected nature reserve.
To go for walks in the nature reserves (7 km²) or on the beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
(8 km) or on the promenade (3.6 km) is a refreshing experience. The sandy beach stretches from 250 to 700 m at ebb-tide and extends over 30 km, via De Panne to the beach of Dunkirk (France), which explains why Oostduinkerke is popular with sand yachters and parakarters.
Oostduinkerke is known for its shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
ers on horseback, a considerable tourist attraction. It is the only place in the world where you can see such shrimpers. Fishery folklore is still very much alive.
Oostduinkerke has several museums. The National Fishery Museum gives a historical survey of Flemish
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
fishery
Fishery
Generally, a fishery is an entity engaged in raising or harvesting fish which is determined by some authority to be a fishery. According to the FAO, a fishery is typically defined in terms of the "people involved, species or type of fish, area of water or seabed, method of fishing, class of boats,...
and shows among other things scale models of fishing boats from 800 AD up to the present, and an original fisherman's cottage. Other museums are: 'The Key and Lock Museum' (a unique historical survey of 3,000 years of keys and locks), a regional museum 't Krekelhof (a huge collection of craft objects and curiosities from the 19th century), and Florishof (old crafts and folkloristic objects).
The British Military Cemetery (1940-1945) bears witness to British sacrifices in the Battle of Dunkirk.