Ostend, Port on the Border of the State: Structural Change in the Eighteenth Century

Description

First mentioned in 814, Ostend was nothing more than a small and sleepy fishing village. It remained so for the next few centuries. In 1270 it was granted city rights and Count Philip the Good permitted the digging of a harbour in 1445. Situated along a sandy shore prone to silt-up, with no rivers, canals and connections whatsoever to the interior of the country. The geographical position of Ostend was thus definitely not suited to become anything more than an average fishing town.
The partition of the Low Countries in the 16th century however dramatically changed the strategic position of Ostend as the new Dutch Republic captured the Scheldt estuary and consequently controlled the access to the Southern Netherlands major seaport of Antwerp. By the middle of the 17th century Ostend was the only port in the Southern Netherlands with free access to the sea. As such it traded its position from remote fishing town into a window for the Southern Netherlands towards the world.
The central authorities in Brussels quickly recognized the new geopolitical situation and so the city was given a new meaning and socio-economic role in the process of state consolidation. Ostend was promoted as the new gateway of the Southern Netherlands. To achieve this policy Ostend needed first of all to be connected to the rest of the country by roads and canals. These plans were slowed down by provincial particularism and rival cities, and even more by the ongoing wars and financial problems in the 17th century. It was only at the end of the more peaceful 18th century that the absolutist central government was able to turn Ostend into a major seaport for the Southern Netherlands by not only linking it to the rest of the country, but also to the German hinterland. This accomplishment was the result of an extensive road- and canal building policy, strengthened with trade encouraging measures, such as new customs and transit regulations and free port facilities.
As the socio-economic importance of Ostend increased in the Early Modern times, so did its strategic significance. The role of Ostend as a protector of the state is however a peculiar one. On one side Brussels, conscious of the geopolitical necessity of holding this window towards the world, developed extensive fortifications from the 17th century onward to defend the city. But on the other hand there was a clear and thorough top-down reduction of the navy in the Southern Netherlands in the same century. Ostend remained however the pivotal port of the maritime power of the Southern Netherlands, as it was an important and thriving privateer's nest till the early 18th century. This activity was probably much more suited to a landlocked state as the Southern Netherlands, with a landlocked capital totally unfamiliar with maritime traditions and know-how. The lack of connections between the interior and the coast could thus be the cause of this military absence on the seas.
One might think that due to its remote location there was hardly or no powersharing with the central state institutions in Ostend. This was certainly the case, but it had everything to do with the stubborn particularism of the States of Flanders and little with the urban autonomy of Ostend. It was indeed very hard for the central government to set things up in the coastal area due to the States of Flanders. These consisted among others of the city of Bridges, Ostend's greatest urban rival. Both Ostend and the central government tried to supplant this grip of the States, which they finally managed in the second part of the 18th century. Both authorities then cooperated closely together to turn Ostend into the gateway of the Southern Netherlands.
The structural continuity in the relation between Ostend and the consolidated state remained its ongoing struggle to overcome the ports' absence of transport connections to its hinterland. It was the ability to link Ostend with the rest of the Southern Netherlands, which was finally achieved in the latter part of the 18th century, that made Ostend a border city of the state.

Period	Aug 2006
Event title	8th European Association for Urban History Conference
Event type	Conference
Location	Stockholm, SwedenShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International