Traveling to Leopold’s II Ostend
O n the 1st of December, the city of Ostend welcomed a group of international students from Kortrijk. The Queen of Seaside Resorts amazed us with its astonishing monuments and site sights, including everything that King Leopold II has designed.
Who was Leopold II?
Leopold II became King of Belgium in 1865, the date where he succeeded to his father, Leopold I. The second King of Belgium established the country as an imperial power not long after he took his father’s place on the throne. The new King of Belgium started to draw interest in Central Africa, and especially Congo where he developed the Congo River basin. Therefore, he led one of the first European efforts to make possible the formation in 1885 of the Congo Free State. In 1908, Congo was entitled as a Belgium colony.
His link to The Queen of Seaside Resorts
Despite his interests in expanding Belgium’s power in Central Africa, Leopold II had other leisure. Indeed, the second King of the flat country was nicknamed the “Builder King”, due to the several monuments and buildings he’s designed for the cities of Ostend, Brussels, and Antwerp. Ostend had always been a place where important people would come to escape and enjoy the Belgium coast, Leopold I and II were no exceptions. The “Builder King” transformed his favorite place of residence into The Queen of Seaside Resorts by modernizing the whole city with his Congo wealth. Ostend needed to be up to a Royal Family’s expectations, therefore, important monuments and villas were built, changing the whole city. The new modernity of Ostend propelled it to a golden year period in 1905, where the city officially became an international seaside resort. As Leopold II donated the private buildings to the state before his death, it is nowadays possible for everyone to visit the places. Hence, ensure you stop by and prepare to be hit by a wave of outstanding views.
An easy way to reach your escape spot
The access to the famous Belgian resort during this golden period was simplified by the station. It has been more than a hundred years since Leopold I had the former station near the city center built. However, it is in 1893, under Leopold’s II reign that the station near the port rose, allowing people to come, visit and enjoy Ostend when it was shining with modernity. The station built by the architects Otten and Franz Seulen was in line with the royal and the Belle Époque architectures of the city.
The Royal Galleries: an iodized path to sight sites
The Belle Époque period dressed up The Queen of Seaside Resorts with magnificent buildings, monuments, and houses. Among these sites, you can meet the Royal Galleries that reflect the architectural style of that era. These Galleries were constructed between 1902 and 1906, following the plans of architect Charles Girault on the orders of the “Builder King” who followed the construction closely, personally visiting on February 25, 1905. These neoclassical arcades are located on a dike on the beach of Ostend and were initially constructed for practical reasons. Indeed, they allowed the King and his guests to pass from the Royal Villa on the beach to the racetrack without being inconvenienced by rain or wind. The Royal Galleries are over 380 meters long and extend from the Royal Villa in the east to the Hippodrome Wellington horse racing track in the west. These Galleries are an accurate example of the influence of Leopold II over Ostend. With the Galleries he commanded, the second King of Belgium made the city a place where he felt comfortable.
The magic of Ostend’s seawater
The Royal Galleries are the path to major buildings in Ostend: from the Royal Villa to the Hippodrome Wellington, through the Thermae Palace Hotel, you can wander around charming sites. The luxury Thermae Palace Hotel sits atop the central section of the Galleries and is one of the many projects of King Leopold II. Indeed, he desired to build a large thermal institute against the columns that he had built at the beginning of the century. In 1929, the plans of the architects were approved. After a few years of construction, the Thermae Palace Hotel became a spa resort with Turkish and mud baths and massage rooms. In addition to these, a swimming pool and a luxurious hotel with various conference rooms were also erected. Although Leopold II died before he could see the place rise from the ground, his successor, Albert I, and his wife, Queen Elisabeth, opened the place in 1933. The “Builder King” succeeded in transforming the old Ostend in The Queen of Seaside Resorts, because of the unique combination of mineral water and seawater, this health resort grew into one of the most important spas of the whole of Europe.
The Hippodrom Wellington
The need to say one more word about the Royal Galleries is too strong, these Galleries are the heart of Ostend’s most fascinating sight sites. As mentioned earlier, the Galleries were built to create a safe passage from King Leopold II of Belgium’s villa to the Hippodrome Wellington. Hippodromes are usually seen as rich places, where wealthy people would meet, gather, and wager. Hence, it is understandable that the King of Belgium would want the Galleries to protect his guests and himself from the rain or the wind. The Hippodrome Wellington was built in 1883 and is, these days, another legacy from the “Builder King”. Nowadays, the Hippodrome hosts several races from the end of June until September. In addition to the Hippodrome, the Wellington Golf Ostend was positioned in the center of the racetrack in 2004, making this place even more engrossing.
When history is hustled by awareness
If you ever have the chance to visit Ostend, you will be amazed by every monument that rose from the ground under Leopold’s II reign. However, the history behind all of this is not as astonishing as the buildings. The “Builder King” was the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free State, nowadays known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Even though the colonial nations of Europe authorized his claim by committing the Congo Free State to improve the lives of the native inhabitants, this colony allowed him to exploit ivory and rubber. Millions of Congolese died of forced labor, including children.
These days, people become more and more aware of what happened and no longer want to pay tribute to him. In 2004, De Stoete Ostendenoare, an activist group, symbolically cut off a bronze hand from one of the kneeling Congolese slaves. This was a reference to how Congolese slaves’ hands were cut off if they did not produce enough rubber under Leopold’s II colonial regime. Likewise, in 2020, the statue was again vandalized as part of the global Black Lives Matter movement that broke out after George Floyd’s murder. A petition to remove such statues was started to coincide with the 60th anniversary of Congo’s independence from Belgium on 30 June 2020.
Ostend is a place where Leopold II is central, as well as history and heritage, nevertheless, people’s opinions are evolving towards change. According to Bart Tommelein, mayor of Ostend
Racism is a fight that the city council takes very seriously, however, no statue will be replaced or removed
The city of Ostend has been living throughout history, but isn’t time for the Queen of Seaside Resorts to change history?
