Frontzate

Line 74 Diksmuide Nieuwpoort made a significant contribution to the development of Nieuwpoort into a tourist seaside resort.
The first stream train arrived on August 15, 1869, at the Nieuwpoort-on-Sea train station. From 1893, bathers were brought in droves during the summer months via a direct line from Brussels.
During the Great War, the railway played an important role as a defensive line during the German advance into France. On October 22, 1914, the advancing German troops had crossed the Yser and pushed back the Belgian army after fierce fighting beyond the railway line.
On October 29, a Belgian detachment succeeded in opening the closure of the Veurne-Ambachtsas at Nieuwpoort, with the help of inland skipper Geeraert, allowing an area of 25 km² between the Yser and the railway to be flooded from Nieuwpoort to Diksmuide.
Due to these floods, the Germans had to retreat to the right bank of the Yser.
The Diksmuide-Nieuwpoort railway line was decommissioned in 1974. The tracks were removed and the embankment, renamed Frontzate, was repurposed as a walkway and bicycle path.

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