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The Leopold Park was set out in 1860 on the old city walls in British style, with ponds, paths and flowerbeds. The first park regulations gave free access to tourists, but local residents had to pay. The beautiful bandstand was inaugurated in 1885. The best-known statue of Oostende, called The Sea, but there is not one person who calls it that. Nearly everyone remembers the statue only by its popular name ‘Dikke Mathille’ - ‘Fat Mathilde’. There even is a “Dikke Mathille” beer that you can taste in local pubs. Near the Fat Mathilde on the right hand side is the famous Floral Clock created from 20,000 flowers and plants. It has a diameter of 9 m, the hands are 3 and 4 m long and weigh 70 and 90 kg. The date, made entirely of flowers, is reset every day during the summer months.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Art Museum by the Sea
Created after the 2008 merger of the Museum voor Moderne Kunst (Modern Art Museum) and the Museum voor Schone Kunsten (Museum of Fine Arts).
Sailing Ship Mercator
A former Belgian merchant marine training ship, this three-masted schooner is now a floating maritime museum. It has a length of more than 78 m and a width of 11 m. This beautiful ship is really worth a visit. Great for kids as well.
James Ensor House
The house where Anglo-Belgian artist James Ensor lived from 1916 has been restored and transformed into a museum of his life. Studio and lounge on the second floor. Only reproductions are displayed.
St. Peter and Paul Church
This vast, neo-Gothic church from 1907 has a suite of stained-glass windows and a memorial chapel dedicated to Belgium's first queen, Marie-Louise of Orleans, who died in Ostend in 1850.
De Plate Oostend Historical Museum
Housed in King Leopold's restored, 19th-century summer residence, the museum holds displays of Neolithic and Roman objects excavated in the vicinity and exhibits depicting Oostend traditional dress, folklore, and history. There's a re-created fisherman's pub, a fisherman's home, and an old tobacco store.
Amandine Ship
Sits in a dry basin on a plastic "sea" as a museum of the history and traditions of Ostend's Icelandic fishery.