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Veurne

Koksijde

Blij Weerzien Sculpture at Florizoone Bridge

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Places to see

Belgium

Flanders

West Flanders

Veurne

Koksijde

Blij Weerzien Sculpture at Florizoone Bridge

Recommended by 100 cyclists out of 107

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Location: Koksijde, Veurne, West Flanders, Flanders, Belgium

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3. Old Marina – Frontzate Railway Path loop from Koksijde

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Tips

Willem VS

June 4, 2025

The Florizoonebrug in Wulpen spans the Nieuwpoort-Veurne canal, a waterway constructed around 1640 to connect Bruges, Veurne and Dunkirk via Plassendale. This canal was partly deepened from an existing watercourse, the Langelis, and the rest was dug entirely by manpower. The bridge formed the only crossing over the canal for a country road, which led to the development of a dike settlement with houses, inns and a brewery. During the Franco-Spanish Wars in the late 17th century, the settlement was reinforced with fortifications and redoubts, remains of which are still visible in the landscape. The bridge played an important role in both military defence and water traffic, with a society of three cities, ’t Nieuw Bedelf, taking over its operation. In 2007, the bridge was completely renovated and named Florizoonebrug, as a tribute to a family that had settled on Wulpendijk since 1699 and whose members were influential mayors, entrepreneurs and cultural figures.

Translated by Google •

Francis

August 27, 2020

Great place to stop, enjoy the canal scenery, the artwork/lifesize statues or just enjoy a beer or coffee on the café terrace overlooking it all.

🇧🇪 Herwig Aertbeliën

May 3, 2024

The artwork symbolizes the restored relationship between the Dijk and Conterdijk in Wulpen, which is realized by the new bridge. But also to strengthen the bond between Wulpen and Oostduinkerke, between land people and sea people, between village people and tourists, between the Bare and the dunes.

History: The pre-war swing bridge was dynamited on May 28, 1940 by the British army in order to stop the advancing Germans pending the disembarkation of the English expeditionary corps in the De Panne-Duinkerke sector. Due to the disappearance of that swing bridge, Wulpen was divided into two, on either side of the canal, Dijk and Conterdijk, Dorp and Conterdijk. The connection between Oostduinkerke and the hinterland (Veurne, Booitshoeke, Avekapelle, Pervijze, Diksmuide...) was also broken and all traffic was diverted through Koksijde and Nieuwpoort. In addition, heavy rural traffic between Oostduinkerke and Veurne - for example to the sugar factory in Veurne - had to pass through Koksijde. That is why the Germans built a wooden emergency bridge during the war. A bridge that ultimately remained in service for 36 years - until February 1976 after a collision with a barge.

About the artwork: The artwork consists of two abstracted people - a man and a woman - who symbolize the meeting between Dijk and Conterdijk, between Wulpen and Oostduinkerke as described above. They are made of bronze with a shiny patina. They sit close to each other, looking at the canal together. They sit within a wooden square frame of 2.80 meters so that they form a unity within the overall project around the bridge and symbolize togetherness. The dedication that belongs to the coastal work and provides the viewer with the necessary information was engraved on the bridge side of the frame. The poem “The Bare” by Fernand Florizoone is engraved on the other side of the frame. That poem is an ode to Wulpen, the village where the poet grew up and from which the Florizoone tribe originates. Het Blote is the popular name for the open landscape that characterizes Wulpen.

Poetry:

The plain becomes at the bend

an arm wave infinity

tilting towards space

the wind was planted

and the tree became wind

and disappeared

clouds sun and earth

have a bare date

on the shoreless meadows.

Source: beeldhouwatelier.be/nl/blij-weerzien-aan-de-nieuwe-brug-wulpen

Translated by Google •

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Location: Koksijde, Veurne, West Flanders, Flanders, Belgium

Blij Weerzien Sculpture at Florizoone Bridge

1. De Doornpanne – Yser Estuary at Nieuwpoort loop from Westende-Bad

2. Grote Markt Veurne – Yser Estuary at Nieuwpoort loop from Koksijde

3. Old Marina – Frontzate Railway Path loop from Koksijde

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