Marte, R.

Missiaen, T.

Versteeg, W.

Open Marine Archive

 101 
Drowned but not forgotten- The search for the old Ostend 
Missiaen Tine
1-2
, Marte Ricardo
2
 and Versteeg Wim
1 
1
 Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), InnovOcean site, Wandelaarkaai 7, 8400 Ostend, Belgium 
 E-mail: tine.missiaen@vliz.be 
2
  Renard Centre of Marine Geology - Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281, 9000 Ghent, Belgium 
 
Between the 14th and the 16th century our coast repeatedly suffered from severe storms as a result 
of which large stretches of land were lost to the sea.  The flooding of the oldest Ostend in 1394 is 
one of the most famous examples. After the 1394 disaster the city was rebuilt further inland. During 
the siege of Ostend (1601–1604) the church ruins were still visible before the coast. Nowadays the 
remnants of the old medieval city lie largely buried below the (intertidal) beach and the seafloor. The 
main question is to what extent these relics, including harbour walls and housing structures, have 
been preserved today. 
 
In September 2016 a test survey was carried out with a novel subbottom acoustic profiler, the SES 
Quattro, recently acquired by VLIZ. This multitransducer parametric echosounder allows to obtain 3D 
acoustic cross-sections of the sub-seafloor in the highest possible detail (cm/dm resolution). Two 
small 3D networks (roughly 300x100 m) were recorded in front of the current beach, in addition to a 
larger 2D network (roughly 500 m x 1 km) that extended slightly more seaward. 
 
The results of this survey are very encouraging. In the eastern 3D-network a number of buried 
structures were identified that are most likely related to the old harbour entrance. Some of the ditch-
like structures may well represent wooden casings that were filled with a muddy or peaty material 
and functioned as the medieval harbour walls. More towards the west several old harbour gullies were 
observed. So far no clear structures could be identified on the 3D data that can be linked to medieval 
house remnants. However, it is possible that the latter are located more eastward of the present 
search areas. 
 
An additional discovery was related to the medieval coastline and the drowned medieval peninsula 
Testerep. During the Middle Ages this marsh-like peninsula stretched from Westende in the west to 
Ostend in the east, separated from the mainland by a large gully (the so-called Testerep-gully). So far 
Testerep has only been mapped on land, in the polder area, and its seaward extension remains very 
uncertain. The newly obtained subbottom data allowed to identify a tidal gully that most likely marks 
the seaward boundary of Testerep. Terraced structures could be linked with this gully indicating a 
possible shoreface of the former coastal barrier. 
 
In this unique study we present ultra-high resolution images of buried archaeological features with 
unprecedented detail. With this, the SES Quattro system sets a new standard for shallow water 
research and opens important perspectives for geoarchaeological studies in nearshore areas. New 
investigations are planned off Ostend in the near future that will hopefully allow to identify further 
remnants of the old city and harbour. 
 
Keywords: medieval Ostend; drowned; subbottom; 3D imaging  


Drowned but not forgotten - the search for the old Ostend

http://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/311606.pdf

Drowned but not forgotten - the search for the old Ostend

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