History of Koksijde: from the Dunes Abbey to seaside resort and artists' village Sint-Idesbald

Koksijde on the Belgian coast was home in the Middle Ages to one of the most powerful abbeys in Flanders and in the 20th century grew into a seaside resort and artists' village.

In short: Merovingians already lived here in the 7th century, and from 1107 the Dunes Abbey grew up in the dunes.
The abbey: its history lives on at the Ten Duinen Abbey Museum and the abbey farm of Ten Bogaerde.
Seaside resort: with the tram, Koksijde-Bad and Sint-Idesbald became seaside resorts.
Art and nature: read about Paul Delvaux and the artists and the Hoge Blekker, or follow the historic route to the beach.

Merovingians in the dunes (7th and 8th centuries)

The oldest traces of settlement in Koksijde go back to the early Middle Ages.

A Merovingian burial ground: a burial ground from the 7th and 8th centuries with 53 people has been found in Koksijde.
Two groups: genetic research by Professor Maarten Larmuseau showed that the dead belonged to two groups of different origin, who lived and were buried here together.
Different diets: according to isotope analysis, some of them ate fish and others did not.
The name: the name Koksijde may be linked to the cockle, kokkel in Dutch, a shellfish found on the beach.

The Dunes Abbey of Ten Duinen (1107 to 1796)

In the dunes of Koksijde, one of the richest abbeys of the Low Countries grew up in the Middle Ages.

A hermit (1107): around 1107 the hermit Ligerius settled in the dunes, and from 1127 a religious community grew here under Fulco.
Cistercians (1138): in 1138 the abbey joined the Cistercians under the influence of Bernard of Clairvaux; its motto was Fac necessitate virtutem, make a virtue of necessity.
Abbot Idesbaldus (1155): in 1155 Idesbaldus became the third abbot; he laid the foundations of the abbey's great estates.
Ter Doest (1175): in 1175 the abbey of Ter Doest near Lissewege was founded as its only daughter abbey.
Golden age (13th century): around 1250 the abbey had some 370 monks and lay brothers, and its estate grew to about 10,000 hectares; the excavations can be seen at the Ten Duinen Abbey Museum.
Iconoclasm (1566): in 1566 works of art were destroyed and much of the unique library was lost; from 1578 the monks had to flee.
Ten Bogaerde (1596): at Easter 1596 the monks moved to their farm of Ten Bogaerde, first mentioned in 1183; it is now an arts centre.
Idesbaldus found (1623): while demolishing the old abbey, which was disappearing under drifting sand, a lead coffin with the remains of Idesbaldus was found in 1623.
The end (1796): the abbey later moved to Bruges and was abolished in 1796.

From Cauxyde to seaside resort (1777 to 1945)

After the abbey, Koksijde became a small village again, until the tram brought the seaside resort at the start of the 20th century.

Cauxyde (1777): on the Ferraris maps of 1777 Koksijde is the tiny hamlet of Cauxyde, with only the church and about ten farms; there was still nothing in the dunes.
The steam tram (1886): in 1886 Koksijde village became accessible for the first time, when the steam tram between Ostend and Nieuwpoort was extended to Veurne.
Horse trams: from 1904 to 1909 a horse tram ran between the village and the beach, and from 1910 to 1914 another horse tram ran from De Panne to a hotel in Sint-Idesbald.
Sint-Idesbald: the resort was first called Zeepanne-Baden and was later named after Abbot Idesbaldus of the Dunes Abbey.
To De Panne (1914): in 1914 the steam tram from Koksijde-Bad was extended to De Panne and electrified in 1929; this became today's Coastal Tram.
Lines closed (1941): in 1941 the occupiers closed the line between Veurne and Koksijde-Bad.

Artists, church and nature (1945 to today)

After the Second World War Koksijde became a popular resort and Sint-Idesbald a true artists' village.

Latem-on-sea: Sint-Idesbald is sometimes called Latem-aan-zee; residents included the sculptor George Grard and the painter Paul Delvaux.
Paul Delvaux: in 1947 Delvaux met his first love Tam again in Sint-Idesbald; on 26 June 1982 the Paul Delvaux Museum opened here, with the largest collection of his work.
Cathedral of light (1956 to 1962): architect Jozef Lantsoght built the Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-ter-Duinenkerk, whose ground plan is inspired by the cockle.
Zuid-Abdijmolen: the wooden post mill of 1773 originally stood in Houtem near Veurne and was moved to Koksijde in the 1950s, close to the abbey site; it is now called the Zuid-Abdijmolen.
The air base: Koksijde air base is home to the search and rescue helicopters of 40 Squadron, known from the series Windkracht 10.
Merged municipality: the municipality of Koksijde now consists of Koksijde, Oostduinkerke and Wulpen.
Hoge Blekker: the 18 hectare Hoge Blekker nature reserve, with one of the highest dunes on the coast, is part of the same dune area as the Doornpanne and the Schipgatduinen.

Experience history yourself in Koksijde

From Sint-Idesbald you cycle or walk via the abbey site to the centre and the dunes of the Hoge Blekker.

Paul Delvaux Museum: start in Sint-Idesbald at the Paul Delvaux Museum.
Ten Duinen Abbey Museum: walk over the excavated remains of the Dunes Abbey at the Ten Duinen Abbey Museum.
Zuid-Abdijmolen: see the nearby Zuid-Abdijmolen.
Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-ter-Duinenkerk: step inside the bright Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-ter-Duinenkerk.
Hoge Blekker: climb the Hoge Blekker for the view over dunes and sea.
Ten Bogaerde: cycle to the abbey farm of Ten Bogaerde, where the monks lived after 1596.
Doornpanne: discover the dunes at the De Doornpanne visitor centre.
Further afield: take the Coastal Tram to De Panne or Nieuwpoort in West Flanders.

Route past these places

Combine most of the places above in a walk or bike ride of around 5 kilometres, from Sint-Idesbald to the Hoge Blekker.