120 BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG REGION BY REGION

Knokke-Heist 3

15 km (9 miles) NE of Bruges.

Road Map B1. * 34,000. c

@ v n Toerisme Knokke-Heist,

Zeedijk-Knokke 660; (050) 630380.

http://www.knokke-heist.info

Cited as the smartest seaside

resort on the Belgian coast,

Knokke-Heist is known

for its casino, its streets

of chic boutiques and

art galleries, its ele-

gant villas and select

golf courses. It is in

fact a conurbation

stretching some 6 km

(4 miles) from

Heist in the west

to Het Zoute in the

east, where development is

curtailed by the dunes of the

Zwin nature reserve. The tale

of the Zwin and the centuries-

old fishing community of

Heist – before tourism trans-

formed the coast in the late

19th century – is eloquently

told in Sincfala, the museum

of the Zwin region.

The Vlindertuin (Butterfly

Garden) in Het Zoute is an

indoor tropical garden where

hundreds of butterflies go in

One of several canals cutting across the polders at Damme

Zeebrugge 4

Vismijnstraat 7; 15 km (9 miles) NE

of Bruges. Road Map A1. * 4,000.

Tel (050) 551415. v # Jul–Aug:

10am–7pm daily; Sep–Jun: 10am–

6pm daily. ¢ 2nd two weeks of Jan.

& http://www.seafront.be

The deep-water seaport of

Zeebrugge was built at the

start of the 20th century.

Under German occu pation

in World War I, it became a

vital strategic port and U-Boat

base, and the target of the

daring Zeebrugge Raid by

British forces in 1918. Today,

Zeebrugge has a rugged

industrial air, with its skyline

dominated by cranes serving

container ships. It is also

Belgium’s biggest fishing port.

However, it has a softer side,

with some good beaches and

a sailing marina.

Close to the town’s centre

and occupying the quayside

warehouses of the former fish-

market is Seafront Zeebrugge.

This mixed bag of a museum

covers the history of the port

and various maritime themes.

Among the highlights are the

gadget-encrusted chambers of

a large 1960s Soviet submarine.

Damme 2

5 km (3 miles) NE of Bruges.
Road Map B1. * 11,000. @
4 n Toerisme Damme, Huyse
de Grote Sterre, Jacob van
Maerlantstraat 3; (050) 288610.
( 2nd Sun of every month (books).
http://www.toerismedamme.be

This pretty village of historic
red-brick buildings lies amidst
a beautiful polder landscape of
tree-lined canals and pasture.
In the 14th and 15th centuries,
it was a bustling port on the
shores of the Zwin and at the
head of the canal that led into
Bruges. Standing witness to
this golden era are the 15th-
century Stadhuis and several
other buildings. These include
the Huis St-Jan, once a centre
for the wine trade; the house
where Charles the Bold, Duke
of Burgundy, married Margaret
of York in 1468; and the St-
Janshospitaal, which houses a
small museum of artifacts and
church treasures. The Huyse
de Grote Sterre, once the
Spanish military
governor’s residence,
now has the Visitor
Centre and a
museum devoted to
Tijl Uilenspiegel. Also
of interest are the half
ruined Onze-Lieve-
Vrouwekerk and the 19th-
century windmill Schellemolen.

E St-Janshospitaal

Kerkstraat 33. Tel (050) 461080.

# Apr–Sep. &

E Huyse de Grote Sterre

Jacob van Maerlantstraat 3.

Tel (050) 288610. # daily.

¢ noon–2pm. &

P Schellemolen

Damse Vaart-West. # Easter

and Apr–Sep: Sat, Sun and

public holidays.

TIJL UILENSPIEGEL

A character that pops up regularly around Bruges

and Damme is Tijl Uilenspiegel, a legendary roguish

trickster. Originally a German creation known as

Till Eulenspiegel, he came to Flanders with the

advent of printing, and was adopted into

the local mythology. The Flemish writer

Charles de Coster (1827–79) revived the

character in a book published in 1867,

and placed him in 16th-century Damme,

fighting for independence from Spain. Tijl, his

fiancée Nele and his sidekick Lamme Goedzak

are remembered in a number of statues, as

well as in the names of several restaur ants

and other enterprises.

search of nectar, fluttering

around – and sometimes land-

ing on – the awestruck visitors.

E Sincfala

Pannenstraat 140. Tel (050)

630872. 
        

        10am–noon and 2–

        
        

        5:30pm daily. & http://www.sincfala.be
        Y Vlindertuin
        Bronlaan 14. Tel (050) 610472.

        
        

        Easter–1st Sat of Oct. 0 =

        
        

        http://www.vlindertuin-knokke.be

        
        

Model of a boat at

the Sincfala museum

Bronze statue of

Tijl Uilenspiegel

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp264–6 and pp288–91