[NL]    [ FR]  

⏰ 1,5 hours. 🚶 5 km

When, during the second half of the 16th and the first half of the 17th century, the Eighty Years' War ravages our regions, and Philip II of Spain sends his troops to drive out the Protestants, all but one of the Flemish cities must capitulate. 

For 3 long and hellish years, Ostend is the scene of a bloody siege by Albrecht & Isabella's Spanish army against the Protestant Beggars who fortify and supply the city from the sea.  

It is a siege that was unprecedented for the time, and all over Europe, it is watched with suspicion and great interest. After 3 years however, Ostend also has to give up the fight and the price is high : almost 100,000 dead. The city is completely destroyed and earned its nickname 'The New Troy'.

Our guide takes you on a walk through Ostend, past the few remnants of the Siege, and along the way, tells the fascinating and improbable story of 'The New Troy' or the Siege of Ostend.

Start en einde aan het Oostendse Casino Kursaal
Adres : Monaco-plein 1, Oostende