Knokke () is a town in the municipality of Knokke-Heist, which is located in the province of

West Flanders West Flanders ( nl, West-Vlaanderen ; vls, West Vloandern; french: (Province de) Flandre-Occidentale ; german: Westflandern ) is the westernmost province of the Flemish Region, in Belgium. It is the only coastal Belgian province, facing the No ...

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

. The town itself has 15,708 inhabitants (2007), while the municipality of Knokke-Heist has 33,818 inhabitants (2009). Knokke is the most north-eastern

seaside resort A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, such as in the Germa ...

on the Belgian coast. It lies adjacent to the Dutch border; separated from the Dutch territory by the Zwin nature reserve. Knokke came into existence as a result of the construction of dikes that were to protect the area around the 'Zwin' sea-arm. Originally a vacation haven for the city folk of

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

in the early 19th century, artists such as

James Ensor James Sidney Edouard, Baron Ensor (13 April 1860 – 19 November 1949) was a Belgian painter and printmaker, an important influence on expressionism and surrealism who lived in Ostend for most of his life. He was associated with the artistic g ...

Alfred Verwee Alfred Jacques Verwee (23 April 1838, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode – 15 September 1895, Schaerbeek) was a Belgian painter known for his depictions of animals, landscapes and seascapes. Life His father was the painter Louis-Pierre Verwee and his br ...

and others started to frequent the small hamlet to paint its beautiful vistas. The artists rented a small miller's cottage and founded the ''Cercle des Artistes'' in 1880. It gradually became a resort town with upscale clientele, restaurants and shops. St. George's

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...

Church serves the English-speaking community. Nowadays Knokke is well known for its beaches and for the dike system to which it owes its origins. The largest of Belgium's ten casinos, Knokke Casino, is located on a seaside promenade and is open 20 hours a day. The town lies at the northern end of the Belgian Coast Tram line and is also served by NMBS trains at

Knokke railway station Knokke station serves Knokke-Heist and Knokke, in West Flanders, Belgium and was built in 1920. Knokke station is run by NMBS and is a terminal station located on the Belgian railway line 51 B from Brugge railway station and has services to ...

. The N34 connects Knokke to

De Panne De Panne (; french: La Panne ) is a town and a municipality located on the North Sea coast of the Belgian province of West Flanders. There it borders France, making it the westernmost town in Belgium. It is one of the most popular resort town des ...

In popular culture

Knokke is immortalised in the

Jacques Brel Jacques Romain Georges Brel (, ; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, l ...

song, " Jacky (Le Chanson de Jacky)": ''Even if one day in Knokke-le-Zoute/I become, as I fear/Singer for old women...'' It does not feature in the English language version written by

Mort Shuman Mortimer Shuman (12 November 1938 – 2 November 1991) was an American singer, pianist and songwriter, best known as co-writer of many 1960s rock and roll hits, including "Viva Las Vegas". He also wrote and sang many songs in French, such as " ...

Gallery

File:Knokke Albertstrand R02.jpg, File:Casino Knokke.JPG, File:Stadhuis van Knokke, Alfred Verweeplein 1, Knokke.jpg, File:Pissarro Camille, Le village de Knocke, 1894, ppp630, Paris Musées.jpg, File:ZWIN.jpg, File:Knokke - Dominicanenkerk 1.jpg, File:Alfred Verwee002.jpg, File:Twee Groetende AVL-Mannen 02.jpg, File:Pines at Knocke by Charles Warren Eaton.jpg, File:St George Knokke.JPG, Tram de la Cote belge - Rame BN 6048 @ Knokke.JPG, Tram

External links

* Populated places in West Flanders Seaside resorts in Belgium Knokke-Heist {{WestFlanders-geo-stub