Dunes de Flandres

In the north of France, the Flanders Dunes extend over 15 kilometres of coastline, from the port of Dunkirk to the Belgian border, and continue over 11 kilometres to the mouth of the Yser at Nieuwpoort. Here, the sea, sand and dunes dominate the other elements. In Flanders, the polder, shaped by man, reveals astonishing networks of irrigation canals, the watergangs, set up from the twelfth century to gain ground from the sea by drying out and regulating water levels. There, a few mills still stand. Witnesses of past times, they now form, like the estaminets, part of our maritime and Flemish heritage. In the territory of the Flanders Dunes live side by side many animal species such as the common seal, the great crested newt and the herring gull, which move in a preserved natural environment. Here, plants, sea and dunes play a preponderant role. At low tide, the wrecks of boats, remains of Operation Dynamo, resurface, and the blockhouses that emerge from the dunes remind the passer-by that history was made in these places. Whether seaside, inland or cross-border, the landscapes of the Flanders Dunes still hold many other architectural, cultural and environmental riches.

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