Oostkerke (Damme)

Spiere Castle is a castle in Spiere, Belgium.

Oostkerke Castle is a castle in Damme, Belgium. The castle can be found south of the village Oostkerke, and was constructed in the 14th century.

The Damme Canal (French: Canal de Damme. Dutch: Damse Vaart or Napoleonvaart) is a canal in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The canal links Bruges with the Western Scheldt at Sluis, Netherlands. It was constructed on the orders of Napoleon Bonaparte who wished to create a canal network in order to permit the efficient transport of troops without the risk of disruptive interventions from the British navy. Following the defeat of Napoleon, the original strategic imperative for the canal was removed. The plans in the Napoleonic era had called for a link to the Scheldt at Breskens. Half a century later the canal opened to traffic in 1856, and the link with the sea had moved to Sluis. At Damme the canal crosses the Leopold Canal and the Schipdonk Canal, both of which were dug in the middle years of the nineteenth century in order to reduce the vulnerability of the Belgian canal network to Dutch interference, after the achievement in 1830 of Belgian independence. It was necessary to create a system of Siphons because of the differences in water level of the three canals. The canal was used until 1940 when French troops destroyed the siphon system: this put an end to maritime transport on the Damme Canal. After World War II use of the canal resumed, but it was used now by pleasure boats, along with a tourist boat connecting Damme and Bruges.

51°15′N 03°16′E The Battle of Damme was fought on 30 and 31 May 1213 during the 1213–1214 Anglo-French War. An English fleet led by William Longespée, Earl of Salisbury accidentally encountered a large French fleet under the command of Savari de Mauléon in the vicinity of the port of Damme, in Flanders. The French crews were mostly ashore, pillaging the countryside, and the English captured 300 French ships at anchor, and looted and fired a further hundred beached ships. The main French army, commanded by King Philip II of France, was nearby besieging Ghent and it promptly marched on Damme. It arrived in time to relieve the town's French garrison and drive off the English landing parties. Philip had the remainder of the French fleet burned to avoid capture. The success of the English raid yielded immense booty and ended the immediate threat of a French invasion of England. It is often considered the first great naval victory in English history.

Damme (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈdɑmə] ) is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders, six kilometres northeast of Brugge (Bruges). The municipality comprises the city of Damme proper and the villages of Hoeke, Lapscheure, Moerkerke, Oostkerke, Sijsele, Vivenkapelle, and Sint-Rita. On 1 January 2006, the municipality had a population of 10,899. The total area is 89.52 km2, giving a population density of 122 inhabitants per km2.

Westkapelle is a town in Knokke-Heist, a part of Belgium. In 2013, a fire destroyed the old Sint-Niklaas church (Westkapelle).

Belfius Basecamp is a football training facility in Westkapelle, Belgium. It serves as the training ground of Club Brugge KV and also accommodates Club NXT (U19-U23) and Club YLA (once a week). It is also the operational headquarters of the club, housing around 120 employees. Plans for a new 'base camp' for Club Brugge were announced in November 2016. Cosntruction started in May 2018 and finished in June 2019. The club's president Bart Verhaeghe officially opened the facilities on 11 September 2019.

Hoeke is a village in Damme, a municipality in West Flanders, Belgium.

Knokke-Heist/Westkapelle Heliport (ICAO: EBKW) is a public use airport located in Westkapelle, which is part of the municipality of Knokke-Heist in the province of West Flanders, Belgium.

Moerkerke is a town in the Belgian province West Flanders and a part (deelgemeente) of the city of Damme

Koolkerke is small district of Bruges in the province of West Flanders in Belgium. Although Roman remains have been found, the first written mention of the village Koolkerke dates from the 12th century. The name "Coolkercke" was first mentioned in 1243. The Old Zwin, a watercourse which connected Bruges to the Zwin in Knokke and the Nortsea, ran past the village. Old Zwin silted up, replaced by a canal constructed by the order of Napoleon and two forts were built in the 17th century: Fort Lapin south of Koolkerke and the 'Fort de Bavière' or Fort van Beieren, the remains of this can be seen today. It is believed that the name derives from Kool, a short version of the name Nicolas, hence from the church of St Nicholas. The church in Koolkerke was named by the settlement's founder, Nicolaas Gaillaerd.Other local attractions include the old windmill Ter Panne, and the Groene Poort castle, Dudzeelse steenweg 460 (now called Château Rougesse).