Blankenberge Hotels

Blankenberge is a town and a municipality in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Blankenberge proper and the settlement of Uitkerke. On 1 January 2007 Blankenberge had a total population of 18,329. The total area of the municipality is 17.41 kmē, giving a population density of 1,053 inhabitants per kmē. Like of most other Belgian coastal towns, a main characteristic of this one is that of a national and to a certain extent international seaside resort. Apart from the sandy beach, there's a structure unique along the Belgian coast: a 350-m long pier, constructed in 1933. In earlier times Blankenberge was nothing more than a small fishermen village at the coast. Because of its rather strategic position, the little village was often plundered and destroyed. Also the sea sometimes proved to be not only a source of income, but also a source of destruction through flooding. It was in the 19th century that the small town became one of the first Belgian seaside-resorts visited by tourists. Around 1850 the first (but not the last) hotels were constructed.