Boudewijn Seapark

Alfons de Baeckestraat number 12. Boudewijn Seapark. Amusement and recreation park with a 6 ha pond, established in 1963 by Mayor Van Maele on an extensive piece of barren land as a complex "at the service of sports, culture, and recreation." The pond originated in 1909 after the deepening of a piece of infertile land, the so-called Walakkers, to create the railway embankment of the Ostend-Brussels line; from then on, the pond became known as "Cloedtse Put" after the Brussels company that excavated the land, N.V. Entreprises R. Decloedt. After World War II, the pond, along with a small piece of land to the north, was purchased by a private individual who built a private villa there (cf. Vijverhoflaan number 101). In 1961, the villa was sold and the property was divided; the pond went to the municipality. Originally, the domain consisted only of a sports hall, gymnastics room, shooting tower, and restaurant; however, it was quickly expanded to include an ice stadium and instructional swimming pool (1969), art gallery (1970), dolphinarium (1971), ranch (1972), Heirmanblok (1979), Bambinoland (1986), and family park (1989). After a fire, the dolphinarium was completely rebuilt in 1989-1990 across the street according to a design by the Bruges design office Jonckhere.

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