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De Haan |
is the most beautiful seaside resort on the 64 kilometer stretch of the Belgian coast. Founded in the 19th century, it has become a favorite vacation spot for the French-speaking aristocracy and wealthy Belgians. After the war, its popularity among tourists grew steadily. In 1889, the Belgian state leased fifty hectares of land to developers to build a residential area in the dunes.
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The German planner Joseph Stübben was involved in the project. Due to the strict building regulations he proposed, De Haan owes its special character, distinguishing it from the rest of the towns along the Belgian coast. A requirement was introduced to limit the height of buildings to eleven meters or three floors, the possibility of building on 1/3 plots, creating forests as a shield against the wind. Thanks to these restrictions, De Haan has retained light buildings, devoid of overwhelming skyscrapers.
Belle époque in De Haan architecture
The wonderful atmosphere of De Haan is created primarily by the beautiful belle époque architecture. Epoch, whose main features are: decorativeness, stylization, asymmetry, which was manifested, among others, in the free distribution of windows, as well as in the location of the gate, which was usually centrally located on the main axis of the building.
The buildings were given smooth, wavy lines, horseshoe or flattened arches were placed above the windows, the balconies were semi-circular, the whole was complemented by wavy cornices, free compositional arrangements, pastel colors, a penchant for floral motifs.
The buildings were given smooth, wavy lines, horseshoe or flattened arches were placed above the windows, the balconies were semi-circular, the whole was complemented by wavy cornices, free compositional arrangements, pastel colors, a penchant for floral motifs.
There are plenty of examples of buildings in this style in the city. The most famous of them is the Grand Hotel Belle Vue, where Albert Einstein often dropped in for a cup of tea during his stay in Flanders, after escaping from Nazi Germany. In style belle époque was built also: a small tram station, which is one of the stops on the route along the Belgian coast, the town hall, many private villas and hotels.
Trammelant
Once a year, Trammelant is held in De Haan, the only belle époque festival on the Belgian coast, focusing on the everyday life of the bourgeoisie and the resort's residents. It is a wonderful tribute to this extraordinary era, a journey into the past. Extras walking around in beautiful costumes, unusual vintage cars, all surrounded by beautiful architecture, characteristic of the belle époque period. For forty years, Trammelant has been attracting crowds of tourists who want to experience the atmosphere of this extraordinary era.
Seaside tram
De Haan's 11 kilometer coast stretches from Harendijke to Vosseslag, where you can admire beautiful sandy beaches that turn into dunes and forests. A great place not only for sunbathing, but also for walking. Unlike other Belgian resorts with skyscrapers in De Haan, the maximum possible building cannot exceed five floors.
De Haan is connected to the other resorts by the longest tram line in the world, stretching from Knokke-Heist located at the Dutch border to the western border with France to the town of De Panne. The entire 67 kilometer journey takes 145 minutes. During this time, the tram stops at 68 stops. In De Haan, the stop is in a historic building that is a fine example of belle époque architecture.