Statue of Marvin Gaye

Ostend


Soul superstar Marvin Gaye wrote his last hit, 'Sexual Healing', in 1981 while living in Ostend. His residency is marked by a wildly tacky statue of the singer playing a golden piano. To see it, peep inside the convention centre of Ostend’s bold 1950s landmark, the Kursaal, now home to Ostend's popular casino.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Ostend attractions

1. Stadsmuseum

0.28 MILES

One might expect this museum, occupying a house that hosted Napoleon in 1798 and Belgian royals from 1834–1850, to be a little more grandiose and exciting…

2. Marien Ecologisch Centrum

0.38 MILES

This educational operation has a little one-room collection of seashells and sand that you can examine under the microscope.

3. Shinkaitei Tuin

0.39 MILES

Evolving since 2001, architect Takashi Sawano has faithfully reproduced a Japanese garden just blocks from Ostend's seashore. Come to wander through its…

4. St-Petrus-&-Pauluskerk

0.4 MILES

Ostend’s most striking historical building features beautifully ornate twin spires, a rose window and a gloomy neo-Gothic interior. It was consecrated on…

5. Mu.Zee

0.42 MILES

Mu.Zee, Ostend’s foremost gallery, features predominantly local artists. There’s a significant collection by symbolist painter Léon Spilliaert (1881–1946)…

6. Léopold II Statue

0.45 MILES

Most of the beachfront is overshadowed by 10-storey concrete buildings, but beside the very ‘50s Thermae Palace Hotel there's some respite where a…

7. Mercator

0.46 MILES

This fully rigged, three-masted 1932 sailing ship was once used for Belgian Navy training purposes and is now a nautical museum that hosts changing…

8. De Niewe Oostende Pier

0.53 MILES

Ostend's modern pier isn't as long or grand as many of its counterparts along the coast, but it does make for a nice stroll on a warm day. When the wind…

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