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The siege of Ostend was the longest military campaign of the Eighty Years' War, and one of the longest and bloodiest sieges in world history: more than 100,000 people were killed, wounded or succumbed to disease; on each side, a precise number of casualties is impossible to pin down.
- 5 July 1601-20 September 1604
- Ostend annexed by Spanish Netherlands
- Spanish pyrrhic victory [Note A]
The Siege of Ostend took place during the War of the Spanish Succession. In the wake of the Allied victory over the French at the Battle of Ramillies in May 1706, town and cities across the Spanish Netherlands rapidly surrendered to the Duke of Marlborough's victorious forces often without a fight.
- 15 June-7 July 1706
- Allied victory
- Ostend, Spanish Netherlands
Jul 8, 2024 · On 15 July 1601, a Spanish army of 20,000, commanded by Albert of Austria, laid siege to Ostend. The city’s garrison numbered 3,500, commanded by the English general Francis Vere. By winter 1601, sickness and death had considerably weakened the defenders.
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Origin to Middle Ages
In the Early Middle Ages, Ostend was a small village built on the east-end (oost-einde) of an island (originally called Testerep) between the North Sea and a beach lake. Although small, the village rose to the status of "town" around 1265, when the inhabitants were allowed to hold a market and to build a market hall. The major source of income for the inhabitants was fishing. The North Sea coastline has always been rather unstable due to the power of the water. In 1395 the inhabitants decided...
15th to 18th century
The strategic position on the North Sea coast had major advantages for Ostend as a harbour but also proved to be a source of trouble. The town was frequently taken, ravaged, ransacked and destroyed by conquering armies. The Dutch rebels, the Gueuzen, took control of the town. The Siege of Ostend, 1601 to 1604, of which it was said that "the Spanish assailed the unassailable and the Dutch defended the indefensible", cost a combined total of more than 80,000 dead or wounded, making it the singl...
19th century
On 19 September 1826, the local artillery magazineexploded. At least 20 people were killed and a further 200 injured. The affluent quarter of d'Hargras was levelled and scarcely a building in the city escaped damage. Disease followed the devastation leading to further deaths. The harbour of Ostend continued to expand because the harbour dock, as well as the traffic connections with the hinterland, were improved. In 1838, a railway connection with Brussels was constructed.[citation needed] Ost...
Ostend is known for its sea-side esplanade, including the Royal Galleries of Ostend, pier, and fine-sand beaches. Ostend is visited by many day-trippers heading to the beaches, especially during July and August. Tourists from inland Belgium and from abroad mostly arrive by train (day trips) and head for the closest beach area, the Klein Strand, loc...
The James Ensormuseum can be visited in the house where the artist lived from 1917 until 1949. The Mu.Zee (merged from the Provinciaal Museum voor de Moderne Kunst and the Museum voor Schone Kunsten) is the museum of modern art (from the 1830s to the present) and displays works of noted local painters such as James Ensor, Leon Spilliaert, Constant ...
Ostend has a maritime temperate climate, influenced by winds from the North Sea, making summers cooler than inland Europe. 24-hour average temperatures below the freezing point is a rare occurrence. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Ostend has a marine west coast climate, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps.
Ostend–Bruges International Airport located 5 km (3 miles) from Ostend is primarily a freight airport but offers passenger flights to leisure destinations in Southern Europe and Turkey. TUI fly Belgium has its headquarters in Ostend. TAAG Angola Airlines's Ostend offices are on the grounds of Ostend Airport. The Ostend railway station is a major hu...
Casino KursaalPierMuseum-ship, the barquentine MercatorK.V. Oostende (football)Ostend has been used as a film location by numerous directors. The movies Place Vendôme with Catherine Deneuve; Daughters of Darkness with Delphine Seyrig as Countess Bathory; Armaguedon with Alain Delon; Camping Cosmos with Lolo Ferrari; and Ex Drummer, based on the novel by Herman Brusselmans; were partially shot in Ostend. The comic Le Bal du ra...
"Ostend" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 20 (11th ed.). 1911.Toerisme Oostende – English edition – extensive Archived 9 February 2006 at the Wayback Machine.May 24, 2020 · On the 5th of July 1601, a Spanish force of about 12’000 men and 50 siege guns arrived at the Dutch town of Ostend. This was the beginning of a war of attrition which was to last for more...
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2004 is the four hundredth anniversary of the end of the siege of Ostend, one of the bloodiest events of the Eighty Years' War. Described as a 'long carnival of death', it lasted an exhausting three years, two months and seventeen days.
May 26, 2020 · The siege of Ostend and the Spinola offensives 1601-8. Ostend’s military machines by Pompeo Giustiniani 1 & 3, the construction of wicker filled with stones and earth were buried in the trenches by the besiegers; they were used in the western part of the town to allow the fording of the Old Haven. 2 & 4, to the east, the deeper flowing ...
