Statue of Jan Baert

Everywhere in the city we encounter Jean Bart, Jan Baert in Dutch. His statue adorns the market, the Place Jean Bart. The famous privateer was born in Dunkirk in 1650, spoke better Flemish than French, and grew up among privateers who attacked ships from competing countries with the king's permission. In 1672, he joined the service of King Louis XIV. He won dozens of legendary sea battles and boarded more than 300 ships. This earned him the nickname 'the terror of the North Sea'.

Jan Baert became a true hero in 1694. At that time, famine threatened in France, but Baert accompanied more than 100 boats loaded with grain from Poland. "The fleet was attacked by the Dutch, at that moment the strongest at sea, but Baert defeated them and safely guided most of the ships to French ports. Over 300 years, Dunkirk privateers would have boarded about 3,000 ships and captured 30,000 people.

Mediahuis België