Oudenburg: Roman History, Cultural Heritage and Nature

Oudenburg offers several points of interest for a stay: Roman history, architectural heritage, music history and nature. If you are looking for a hotel in Oudenburg, you can plan your stay around whichever of these aspects interests you most. The museum, themed trails and nature reserve each have their own appeal.

Roman history and trails

The Romeins Archeologisch Museum Oudenburg, or RAM for short, tells the story of Oudenburg’s Roman fort and the Roman presence in the surrounding area. Its audio guide is specifically tailored to younger and older visitors. This means the museum visit is accompanied by a narrative designed for all ages. Free parking is available at the RAM, and it is also possible to arrive by public transport. Check the practical travel information before your visit.

In Abtspark, you can walk along a reconstruction of a Roman road. The park is also the starting point for two different routes: the “Met Moovie op stap” walking route starts in Abtspark, at Marktstraat 25, and is 6.3 kilometres long—about 9,000 steps. The “Stappen langs Erfgoed” town walk also starts and ends at Abtspark, at Marktstraat 25. This means you can plan a specific distance for “Met Moovie op stap”, while the town walk takes you on a loop back to the starting point.

The Belpop Bonanza walk offers a different theme. At ten different stops, you will encounter stories and anecdotes about the history of pop and rock music in Oudenburg. Anyone interested in music history will find it an alternative to the city’s Roman and architectural themes.

Architectural heritage and historical traces

The Abdijhoeve is one of the last surviving remnants of the former Sint-Pietersabdij. The year 1671 is inscribed on its large, whitewashed entrance gate. Here, a specific architectural detail meets the history of the former abbey.

The Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk in Oudenburg is a Neo-Gothic parish church. ’t Spaans Tolhuis, a tiny building beside the towpath from Plassendale to Bruges, has a different historical connection: it was once the gateway to a powerful 17th-century fort. The two buildings thus represent different aspects of the cultural heritage, from the Neo-Gothic church to the former function of the small toll house.

At the Roksem archaeological site, next to the birth forest, a small model shows what the building there probably looked like. This tentative reconstruction makes the building’s former appearance the focus, so you do not have to rely solely on the outlines of the site.

Nature and landscapes around Oudenburg

De Hoge Dijken is a 52-hectare nature reserve with opportunities for quiet recreation, including nature experiences, walking and fishing. The reserve includes the De Grote Zaagbek visitor centre and four birdwatching hides. De Hoge Dijken therefore combines nature watching with other ways to spend time outdoors.

From the Het Rietnest observation tower, you can look out over the flat polders and the Zwaanhoek nature reserve. The setting of the historic town centre can also be understood in terms of the landscape: it lies on a sandy ridge, an extension of the sandy region, about eight kilometres inland from the present-day coastline.

The Plassendale lock complex lies north of Oudenburg. It consists of two tidal locks and a turning basin on the Plassendale–Nieuwpoort canal, which runs from northeast to southwest. This canal meets the Bruges–Ostend canal, which runs from east to west, at a right angle. Anyone interested in the landscape and its waterways will find another facet of the area here, alongside the views across the polders and nature experiences.

Discover more destinations: Knokke-Heist, Torhout, Wervik, Anzegem, Kuurne, Roeselare, Zuienkerke, Koksijde-Bad.

For the regional travel overview: West Flanders.