Lombardsijde: Coastal Nature and Local History

Lombardsijde combines a long local history with protected coastal landscapes and natural areas. You can therefore focus on different aspects when choosing your destination: historical traces in the village, the dune landscape, or routes through the surrounding area.

History and Architecture in Lombardsijde

Lombardsijde was first mentioned as an independent parish under the name “Lombardie” in 1248. The village was granted town privileges in the mid-13th century. A later event in regional history was the Battle of Nieuwpoort, fought on 2 July 1600 in the area of the former military site north of Lombardsijde’s village centre.

The parish church of Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Visitatie was rebuilt in the neo-Romanesque style in 1922–1923. Its predecessor church was destroyed on 20 October 1914. In the churchyard is the Onze-Lieve-Vrouw der Zeven Weeën ambulatory: fourteen painted scenes depicting the devotion are displayed in brick chapels. Lombardsijde was also known as a pilgrimage site dedicated to Our Lady of Lombardsijde, the patron saint of Iceland sailors. The church, churchyard, and pilgrimage history thus convey different aspects of the village’s religious and architectural heritage.

Protected Dunes and Natural Areas

Sint-Laureinsstrand has been a protected landscape since 1 July 1982. Near Nieuwpoort, the area lies on the right bank of the IJzer harbour channel and extends as far as the built-up area of Westende-Bad. In Lombardsijde, it includes the beach, the IJzermonding nature reserve, and the Sint-Laureinsduinen. The area is protected because of the dunes’ well-preserved geological and geomorphological features and their rare vegetation.

Another natural attraction is Schuddebeurze. The project area lies mainly between the village centres of Lombardsijde and Westende and the Plassendale–Nieuwpoort Canal; it includes, among other things, the Schuddebeurze nature reserve. Natuurpunt’s De Schuddebeurze protected area has existed since 1993, now covers more than 50 hectares, and is managed to preserve and improve its sensitive natural values.

The old dunes of Schuddebeurze have a relatively acidic environment because of the former lime deposits that lie deep below the surface. This is accompanied by a distinctive plant life that includes heather, gorse, and Zandblauwtje. This type of vegetation occurs in only about three places along the Flemish coast. Comparing it with the protected dunes at Sint-Laureinsstrand reveals two different aspects of nature: the geological and geomorphological features of coastal dunes there, and the acidic environment of the old dunes and their distinctive plant life here.

Routes and Historical Traces Along the Way

A walking path runs along the edge of the Schuddebeurze nature reserve, between Schuddebeurzeweg and Langestraat. An information board covers the First World War, which took place here. In Middelkerke, an observation platform was built on a bunker at the Bamburg bunker site in October 2020. It can be reached from the walking path on Bamburgstraat.

There is also a low-traffic, often car-free route for cycling and walking from Lombardsijde through Westende and Middelkerke to Oostende (Mariakerke).

Information, maps, and guides to signposted walking and cycling routes along beaches, dunes, polders, waterways, and natural areas are available at the reception desk at De Lombarde and from the Middelkerke tourist office. If you would like to use the maps or guides, check with the De Lombarde reception desk or the Middelkerke tourist office before your trip to see if they are available.

Discover more destinations: Slijpe, Westende, Westende-Bad, Schore

Go to the main travel overview: Middelkerke.