Blankenberge

Blankenberge is a seaside municipality and city in the Belgian province of West Flanders. It consists of the town of Blankenberge proper and the settlement of Uitkerke, covers 17.41 square kilometres and is one of the most important resorts on the Belgian coast for tourist numbers and hotel reservations. Its sandy beach is backed by the Belgium Pier, an Art Deco structure of 1933 that replaced a cast-iron pier built in 1893 and 1894. Fishing is recorded from the 11th century, and a proper harbour only came in 1871 with a navigation channel and wharf; the fishery disappeared in 1945. Bathing cabins appeared on the beach in 1838, the Casino Kursaal opened in 1859, and the Heist to Bruges railway reached the town on 16 August 1863, opening it to wealthier visitors. In the Second World War it formed part of the Atlantic Wall and was liberated on 9 September 1944.