Nieuwpoort, Belgium
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Nieuwpoort ( , ; ; ) is a
city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
and
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...
located in
Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-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 culture, la ...
, one of the three regions of
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
, in the province of
West Flanders West Flanders is the westernmost province of the Flemish Region, in Belgium. It is the only coastal Belgian province, facing the North Sea to the northwest. It has land borders with the Dutch province of Zeeland to the northeast, the Flemis ...
. The municipality comprises the town of Nieuwpoort proper, as well as Ramskapelle and Sint-Joris. On 1 January 2008, Nieuwpoort had a total population of 11,062. Its land area is 31.00 km² which gives a
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
of 350 inhabitants per km². The current mayor of Nieuwpoort is Geert Vanden Broucke (
CD&V Christian Democratic and Flemish (, ; CD&V) is a Flemish Christian-democratic political party in Belgium. The party has historical ties to both trade unionism ( ACV) and trade associations ( UNIZO) and the Farmer's League. Until 2001, the party w ...
) In Nieuwpoort, the
Yser The Yser ( , ; ) is a river that rises in French Flanders (the north of France), enters the Belgian province of West Flanders and flows through the '' Ganzepoot'' and into the North Sea at the town of Nieuwpoort. The source of the Yser is in ...
flows into the
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
. It was also the home of a statue created by Jan Fabre called '' Searching for Utopia''. The Stadshalle Grain Hall (market hall) with its belfry was inscribed on the
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage List World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...
in 1999 as part of the
Belfries of Belgium and France The Belfries of Belgium and France are a group of 56 historical buildings designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites, in recognition of the civic (rather than church) Belfry (architecture), belfries serving as an architectural manifestation of ...
site, owing to its historical civic (not religious) importance and its architecture.


History

It obtained
city rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the tradition ...
in 1163 from
Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
Philip of Flanders. The
Battle of Nieuwpoort The Battle of Nieuwpoort (also known as the Battle of the Dunes) was fought on 2 July 1600 during the Eighty Years War and the Anglo-Spanish war in the dunes near Nieuwpoort. A Dutch army met a Spanish force head-on which, although their left f ...
, between the Dutch and the Spanish, happened here in 1600. The city was a
Dunkirker During the Dutch Revolt (1568–1648), the Dunkirkers or Dunkirk Privateers were commerce raiders in the service of the Spanish monarchy and later the Kingdom of France. They operated from the ports of the Flemish coast: Nieuwpoort, Ostend, ...
base. Painter Victor Boucquet made two of the altar-pieces for the great church in the 17th century. In 1671, Antonio Vélaz de Medrano, 1st Marquess of Tabuérniga became governor of the city. The city was occupied by French forces for six years between 1757 and 1763, as part of the conditions of the
Second Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles was a diplomatic agreement signed between Habsburg monarchy, Austria and Early Modern France, France at the Palace of Versailles on 1 May 1757 during the Seven Years' War. It expanded on the Treaty of Versailles (1756), 1 ...
between France and Austria. A large waterworks infrastructure project called the ''
Ganzepoot The Ganzepoot (Dutch for ''goose foot'') is a series of lock (water navigation), locks and spillways in the inner port of Nieuwpoort, Belgium which connect one river, three water channels and two canals with the mouth of the Yser River and the ma ...
'' (''goose foot'', in Dutch) was constructed in Nieuwpoort in the 19th century to drain the
polders A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a lake or the seabed # Flood plains ...
and channel water in and around the town and to the
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
. During the
Battle of the Yser The Battle of the Yser (, ) was a battle of the First World War that took place in October 1914 between the towns of Nieuwpoort, Belgium, Nieuwpoort and Diksmuide, along a stretch of the Yser River and the Yperlee Canal, in Belgium. The front ...
, part of the
First Battle of Ypres The First Battle of Ypres (, , – was a battle of the First World War, fought on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front around Ypres, in West Flanders, Belgium. The battle was part of the First Battle of Flanders, in which German A ...
in
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Hendrik Geeraert opened the
sluice gate A sluice ( ) is a water channel containing a sluice gate, a type of lock to manage the water flow and water level. There are various types of sluice gates, including flap sluice gates and fan gates. Different depths are calculated when design s ...
s on the mouth of the river
Yser The Yser ( , ; ) is a river that rises in French Flanders (the north of France), enters the Belgian province of West Flanders and flows through the '' Ganzepoot'' and into the North Sea at the town of Nieuwpoort. The source of the Yser is in ...
twice to flood the lower lying land, thus halting the German advance. Two
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
monuments, the
Nieuport Memorial The British Nieuport Memorial is a First World War war memorial, memorial, located in the Belgium, Belgian port city of Nieuwpoort, Belgium, Nieuwpoort (), which is at the mouth of the River Yser. The memorial lists 547 names of British officers a ...
and King Albert I Memorial, are in close proximity of the Ganzepoot.


Towns

The old city centre of Nieuwpoort is located about three kilometers from the coast. Close to the sea, a new tourist centre has developed. Both parts form one contiguous built up area, connected by buildings along the Albert I Laan street and the fishing port. Besides Nieuwpoort proper, two small villages in the Flemish
polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrology, hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as levee, dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclamation, Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a ...
s are part of the municipality, Sint-Joris and Ramskapelle. Nieuwpoort is located by the sea. At the coastal line, it borders the municipalities
Koksijde Koksijde (; ; ) is a town and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in Belgium. It is located on the North Sea coast in the southwest of the Flanders, Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises apart from Koksijde, the v ...
at its town
Oostduinkerke Oostduinkerke (; ; ) is a place on the southern west coast of Belgium, located in the province of West Flanders. Once a municipality of its own, Oostduinkerke now is a sub-municipality in the municipality of Koksijde. The name ''Oostduinkerke'' ...
and
Middelkerke Middelkerke () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders, on the North Sea, west of Ostend. The municipality comprises the villages of Leffinge, Lombardsijde, Mannekensvere, Middelkerke proper, Schore, Sint-Pieters-K ...
at its town Lombardsijde. Because the territory of the town of Ramskapelle expands far inland, Nieuwpoort has a large number of neighbouring towns, most of which are part of 2 large municipalities: * a. Lombardsijde (Middelkerke) * b.
Westende Westende is a town in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It lies on the Belgian coast, also called the Flemish coast. It used to be the far west (West-ende: Dutch for west-end) of the is ...
(Middelkerke) * c. Slijpe (Middelkerke) * d.
Mannekensvere Mannekensvere is a small rural village in Belgium, located in the Polder region. Mannekensvere is a part ("deelgemeente") of the seaside municipality of Middelkerke. The village is located along the Yser The Yser ( , ; ) is a river that rises ...
(Middelkerke) * e. Schore (Middelkerke) * f. Pervijze (Diksmuide) * g.
Veurne Veurne (; , ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Belgium, Belgian Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Veurne proper and the settlements of , , ...
* h. Booitshoeke (Veurne) * i. Wulpen (Koksijde) * j.
Oostduinkerke Oostduinkerke (; ; ) is a place on the southern west coast of Belgium, located in the province of West Flanders. Once a municipality of its own, Oostduinkerke now is a sub-municipality in the municipality of Koksijde. The name ''Oostduinkerke'' ...
(Koksijde) File:Nieuwpoort Marina.jpg, A view of Nieuwpoort marina from the south side with boats Image:Nieuwpoort-pier.jpg, A view of the beach and the pier at Nieuwpoort File:Mouth of the Yser, at Nieuwpoort, Belgium.jpg, Nieuwpoort taken from the air File:Nieuwpoort - Hendrik-Geeraertplein.jpg, Hendrik-Geeraertplein square Image:N.58, Pascin - Nieuwpoort.jpg, Fishing ship from Nieuwpoort


In literature

Part of the plot in Cecelia Holland's historical novel ''The Sea Beggars'' is laid in Nieuwpoort, in the preliminary states of the
Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish Empire, Spanish government. The Origins of the Eighty Years' War, causes of the w ...
- with the sailor protagonists feeling oppressed under the harsh Spanish rule and eventually joining the rebellious
Watergeuzen ''Geuzen'' (; ; ) was a name assumed by the confederacy of Calvinist Dutch nobles, who from 1566 opposed Spanish rule in the Netherlands. The most successful group of them operated at sea, and so were called ''Watergeuzen'' (; ; ). In the Eigh ...
.


See also

* Operation Hush


References


External links

* - Mainly in Dutch, some info available in French and English
Startpage of Nieuwpoort
- Alle site's binnen Nieuwpoort
Illustrated Article on Nieupoort & the Yser Front during WW1 at 'Battlefields Europe'
{{Authority control Municipalities of West Flanders Port cities and towns in Belgium Port cities and towns of the North Sea Seaside resorts in Belgium