Statues / Monuments, Oostende

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This memorial to the fishermen lost at sea stands on the site of Oostende's first lighthouse (built in 1771) and each year those lost seamen are remembered here. The memorial was constructed in 1953.

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This memorial along the Visserskaai in Oostende is dedicated to the 26 Canadian serviceman of the 29th Motor Torpedo Boat flotilla who lost their lives of the coast near Oostende on 14th February (Valentines Day) 1945 when spilled fuel ignited on the water and engulfed the closely moored small vessels before the alarm could even be raised. Ammunition and fuel supplies exploded as each boat caught fire.

This monument on Oostende seafront is dedicated to the Belgian King Leopold II. Perhaps not surprising that the town commemorates him as it was in part thanks to his royal patronage that Oostende became a stylish and fashionable seaside retreat but today it might be a little more controversial?

The monument shows the King on horseback above the clambering figures of his subjects, both European (Belgian) and African (Congolese). King Leopold II's efforts in colonising the so called "Congolese Free State" to extract rubber and ivory was powered by forced labour and lead to the deaths of 3 million Congolese.

This statue of a reclining nude lady in the middle of busy Leopold II Laan and near the Leopold Park is officially called De Zee (The Sea), however, it has gained the perhaps less flattering nick name of Dikke Mathille (Fat Matilda). Until 1963 the statue adorned the Kursaal Casino nearby.

There are different interesting sculptures in Oostende. The picture's showing a group of statues in front of the railway station. No comment is needed!

The Zeeliedenmonument it is called in dutch.Its for the remembrance of the sailors who died at see.

THE STATUE OF KING LEOPOLD II.
King Leopold I and Leopold II spend their summers in Oostende that raised the town's fortunes and transformed it into a fashionable 19th century resort.

Taking a walk along the water to see the monument of the sailor that is up on the hill overlooking the ocean. It's a very sad memorial, and a must see.

War Memorial

The Ostend memorial is in the form of a round column and bears the inscription: “Oostende herdenkt zijn helden - Ostend commemorates its heroes”