The symposium will take place in Ostend (Oostende), Belgium.
It will be held at the
Vives University College
Vives University College Ostend is accessible with the tram (metro) from Ostend Railway Station.
Direction: "De Panne", Tram Stop "Oostende Renbaan" (200m to the college entrance).
The main activities (technical sessions, etc.) will take place in the auditorium A11 (A building, 1st floor, Zeedijk 101, 8400 Oostende). Entrance of the school via the reception at the corner of the Troonstraat and the 17-Oktoberstraat.
For registration, coffee breaks, etc. the Vives Conference Room will be used (please follow the signs).
Some additional (cultural and touristic) activities will happen in the famous city of Bruges (Dutch: Brugge).
Direction to the Symposium Location (from Brussels):
Click on image to download map.
Ostend is situated on Belgium's North Sea coast - 113km north-west of Brussels, 17km east of Bruges.
The Belgian coast's 65 kilometer long stretch of sandy coastline has 15 resorts, each with its own character and unique atmosphere. The sandy beaches are ideal for children. The beaches shelve gently out to sea, and life guards ensure everyone's safety. Sunbathers have found that they acquire a healthier tan here than in southern Europe, thanks to the iodine and salt in the air.
The coast offers a wide range of sport and recreation facilities: here you can hire a bicycle or a buggy, or go sailing or fishing. The wide beach is ideal for ball games, horse riding and beach surfing.
The summer months are the busiest period for the coast. However, other seasons have their own charm, even if sunbathing is not part of it. There are plenty of alternatives on the coast. Close by, there is Bruges, one of Belgium's finest cities of art. A visit to this historic city is a must.
Only 15 minutes away from Bruges by train and just an hour from Brussels, the port city of Ostend (Ostend) – rejoicing in the titles, “the Queen of Beaches” or “The City by the Sea” – is, Sint-Petrus-en-Pauluskerk OstendSint-Petrus-en-Pauluskerk
Today Ostend has a modern look and feel and is geared to hosting major conferences and welcoming hordes of tourists. With centuries of weary travelers and pleasure-seeking trippers passing through the city, they know how to do hospitality. Luckily nearly all the locals speak English as even their fellow Belgians struggle to get their ears around the thick local Flemish dialect. Ostend may have lost some of its Belle Époque grandeur but it’s still very much alive and kicking and it’s a great little city to visit all year round. Besides its several renowned beaches Ostend is packed with an enormous and diverse variety of accommodation and there’s plenty to do when the rain comes down. There’s a lively nightlife scene with plenty of good restaurants and the city is a major shopping centre.
Ostend’s inhabitants are fiercely proud to be “Ostendais“ and are known in Belgium for their “joie de vivre“. The city has a well-equipped Tourism Office located right in front of the Casino. For opening hours, tips, advice, tours and much more check the “Visit Ostend“ website.
Discover Ostend with a city Pass from 12 Euros:
Website: http://www.visitoostende.be/en
E-Mail: info@visitoostende.be
With the entire city centre named as a UNESCO World Heritage site, a trip to Bruges is a must for any visitor to Belgium. It’s known as a simple and honest city, historically Frankish.
Bruges is of one Belgium’s best-preserved medieval cities and smiles with a wrinkled sort of grin. It’s a city of colorful bricks and mortar, long in the tooth but shedding the memory of the terrible wars and revolutions that have brought death to its streets with an invincible spirit of survival. Its four ancient gates were once protected by great walls, but nowadays, tourist warriors can walk safely from the “Vismarkt“ (fish market) to the Choco Story museum, looking out for locations from the movie ‘In Bruges’ along the way. The black comedy starring Colin Farrell and Ralph Fiennes was actually filmed in Bruges in 2008. The often troubled past of the city shouldn’t haunt you in Bruges, but it will encourage you to find out how Bruges gained great status and then, like many medieval cities, lost it. The city centre is compact, bustling, and arranged around a friendly square. The colorful buildings and circling canals give this great little city a very special look and atmosphere. American poet Henry Longfellow waxed lyrical about the towering and, to him, strange belfry.
The industrial revolution passed Bruges by, and it was mercifully spared from the destruction that both World Wars brought to Belgium. Bruges is a city of the Middle Ages when Burgundy, under the predatory Charles the Bold, was one of the great powers of Europe. The city’s looming clock tower, with its 365 steps, is one of the enduring symbols of Bruges’ earlier prosperity. Memling and van Eyck gave the place a very special artistic heritage and romance can always be found at the “Minnewater“ (the Lake of Love).
Today Bruges has around 120,000 inhabitants and is the capital of the province of West Flanders. Each year more than 3 million tourists from all over the globe pay the city a visit. In high season during the summer and in the run up to Christmas the city centre can get very crowded. Even then, you will be able find small pockets of tranquility and calm hidden across the city. At the harbor and ferry port of Zeebrugge (Sea Bruges), the city has reclaimed its long lost maritime gateway to the world.
The airport of Ostend, at a few minutes by car from the city center, is in full expansion. Besides charters, private jets are welcome here too.
For more information, please contact:
Internationale Luchthaven Ostend-Brugge
Nieuwpoortsesteenweg 889, B-8400 Ostend
Tel: +32 (059)55.14.12
Fax: +32 (59)70.55.12
E-Mail: pr@ost.aero
By train
The train stops in the center of Ostend and offers a lot of direct connections from and to the midland. The Thalys will take you in 1.30 hour from Paris and in 2:00 hours from Amsterdam to Ostend.
For a schedule see: www.nmbs.be