블랑켄베르게‬에서 가장 멋진 ‪15‬개의 천연기념물

The Zandpanne Nature Reserve is a valuable dune area between Wenduine and De Haan, known for its variety of dune forests, open dunes and moist dune valleys.

On the coast's second-highest dune (31 m) stands a small white pavilion with a red roof: the Spioenkop. It offers a magnificent panorama of the polder landscape beyond, the wooded surroundings, and the coastal plain. At the foot of the dune lies the Rotonde, the place to be for sunbathers, anglers, pétanque players, and children.

A lovely little piece of nature. Managed by Natuurpunt.

The name suggests it: duck decoys were built to catch wild ducks for consumption. A duck decoy is a pond surrounded by a ‘decoy forest’ and long catch pipes in every corner. The catch was a combination of tame barn ducks and a brown decoy dog (which looked like a fox because of its colour). The decoy man chased the ducks to the end of the catch pipe, where they were caught in nets. Although there are many duck decoys in the Netherlands, this is indeed a Flemish invention. The duck decoy in Meetkerke (from the 16th century) is one of the few remaining examples. Of course, the duck decoy is no longer used for hunting. One of the catch pipes was recently completely restored, a special piece of history restored to its former glory! The duck decoy of Meetkerke is located in a beautiful part of the Flemish nature reserve: the Meetkerkse Moeren. You can easily find the hidden spot via the Meetkerkse Moeren walking route!

The Dune Forests of De Haan are one of the green pearls on the coast. The area consists of three parts and is 152 hectares in size. From west to east, these are the Dune Forests of Klemskerke, Vlissegem and Wenduine. The nature reserves De Zandpanne and De Kijkuit are connected to this, both managed by Natuurpunt. This creates a large and varied dune area with forest, dune scrub and dune grasslands.

The 80-year war between the Northern Netherlands and Spain was the reason for the development of Damme into a fortified city. Damme already had a rampart at that time, but it was no longer adapted to the changed way of warfare. Result: between 1615 and 1620 the Spanish built a new defensive belt in the shape of a 7-star. Damme was important because of its location on the canal network, because it is close to the enemy Sluis and is ideally situated to defend Bruges. The mouth of the canal "de Lieve" (Damme - Ghent) was led inside the city walls and entered the city via a covered water gate. This gate was later used as a weapons depot (casemate) and still exists. Due to the construction of the new city walls, a number of buildings (such as the old city gates; see also Brugse Poort) had to be demolished. The city could now only be entered via 2 new gates. In 1702, the ramparts were expanded with an additional hornwork in the direction of Sluis. A military governor governed the city and Damme would remain a fortified city until 1760. In 1786, the grounds of the ramparts were sold publicly and the decline began. The double rampart can still be seen clearly, but has suffered greatly from the ravages of time. A large part of the ramparts is now owned by the non-profit organisation Natuurpunt. The aim is to fully revalue the ramparts around Damme. In 2001, part of the outer rampart was restored again, during which the remains of an old construction were found. This could be the Bruges gate. The city ramparts have become a nature reserve where a number of (even very rare) animal species have found an ideal habitat. In 2008, a second restored section was opened to the public (north side). This restoration was part of the European Intereg project "State-Spanish lines" in which various defenses on both the Dutch and Flemish sides were revalued. This part of the ramparts was completely restored to its original state, but fauna and flora have also been given a prominent place; an example of a beautiful interplay between cultural-historical heritage and nature. This beauty is not denied to the visitor, because a footpath shows you the way.

The viewing point is easily accessible via a paved path. It offers a magnificent panoramic view of the coastal landscape.

Beautiful walk, easy to do through nature protected from the wind. Took the train to Blankenberge and from De Haan the tram to Ostend