At the end of the 18th century, France annexed our counties. Napoleon fears an attack from England on the harbour of Ostend, and that is why in 1811 he built an impressive fortress in the dunes.

But the British attack does not take place: the fortress only functions as storage for the weapons and accommodation of the French army. After the fall of Napoleon in 1814 the fortress falls victim to theft and vandalism. In both World Wars the fortress gets a new function; artillery storage of the German army. For a while it functions as museum, and later as playground. Then the monument fell into dispair.

Since 1995 Erfgoed Vlaanderen (Flemish heritage protection association) is administrator of the Fortress Napoleon. Erfgoed Vlaanderen took care of the restoration and made it an open monument. You can visit the monumental fortress and plunge yourself into its rich history.

The restored fortress also offers a lot of space to organize seminars or meetings. And of course Fortress Napoleon has a varied menu going from a simple lunch with bread, barbecue, walking dinner and royal buffets to truly gastronomic jewels.