Coastal tourism is a very modern phenomenon

Ostend is the biggest coastal city in Belgium. During the 19th century, the king of Belgium transformed Ostend into a very nice and attractive holiday destination for the rich and wealthy. A lot of beautiful Belle Époque buildings were constructed and several parks were landscaped. After the second world war and in the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s the mayor of Ostend allowed more than 50% of these buildings to be demolished to make room for large apartment buildings. These apartment buildings attracted a lot of middle class tourists. Ostend had transformed to a very touristic coastal city.