The city of Oostende, protected from the North Sea by a network of dikes, is the largest population center on the Belgian coast, with 67,000 residents.
Oostende received a city charter in the 13th century, though it is unclear how much earlier the site had originally been settled, at the time it was a small fishing village.
Plagued throughout its history by a constant onslaught from seaborne invaders, it was the decision by the first two Belgian Kings, Leopold I and Leopold II,
to spend their summers in Oostende that raised the town's fortunes and transformed it into a fashionable 19th century resort.
Sadly, in the twentieth century, destruction came again, this time in the form of World War II aerial bombardment.
Modern Oostende is a transportation hub and resort town.