"Beaufort Triennial"

West Flanders: See and marvel at Bruges

Ivan Argote calls his installation "Who?" - which floats on Bruges' Speelmansrei Canal in the form of two bronze boots.

(Bild: Filip Dujardin)

Every three years, the capital of the province of West Flanders attracts art-loving tourists - and Belgium's coast has also spruced itself up with new works from its sculpture park.

As we all know, Austrians are usually drawn to the sea on vacation, with countries such as Italy, Croatia, Greece, Spain and Turkey leading the way. Very few people think of Belgium. However, the 65 km of sandy coastline is home to 15 seaside resorts, which this year have a special treat in store:

Jorge Macchi's "All the words in the world"

(Bild: Annsophie Deldycke)

Since 2003, a unique art happening has taken place here every three years as part of the "Beaufort Triennial", which is held on the dykes, beaches and dunes along the coastline from De Panne in the south all the way up to Knokke-Heis on the Dutch border and uses the vastness of the sea as an exhibition venue. An outdoor museum that is cool in every respect and fun for the whole family, you can explore the 50 works in total in a relaxed way between building sandcastles, sailing on the beach or snacking on waffles.

Equestrian statues emerge from the sea
On foot, by bike or - best of all - on the coastal streetcar: the longest streetcar in the world, which runs continuously up and down the coast. 18 new sculptures by national and international artists have been added this year. For example, a giant octopus half-submerged in the sand in De Panne, which young and old children have already claimed as their playground and which now joins the meter-high Rock Strangers in Ostend, the eccentric little boy Benjamin in De Haan and the equestrian statues Men in Nieuwpoort, which appear and disappear with the tides.

Strandidyll: a crab fisherman in front of Johann Crete's "The Herring" in Koksijde.

(Bild: Annsophie Deldycke)

This is certainly good for the coastline, which is cruelly paved over with vacation homes. "We've really grown to love our sculptures," says De Panne's mayor Bram Degrieck, himself an enthusiastic sailing car racer and a child of his town, which proves that it can be charming in the summer months.

"Under the carpet" - a strip of greenery gives a street that once existed a new lease of life.

(Bild: Filip Dujardin)

Away from the coast, squares, parks and green strips are also filled with works of art - Finnish artist Sara Bjarland, for example, has cast the well-known plastic Monobloc chairs in bronze, stacked 47 on top of each other in the middle of a traffic circle and thus makes thoughts revolve around the theme of the throwaway society. Eight of the new works will be permanently incorporated into the Sculpture Park, where visitors can enjoy this free open-air exhibition all year round.

Eye-catchers: stacked bronze "plastic" chairs and Art Nouveau-style seating sculptures.

(Bild: Annsophie Deldycke)

(Bild: Annsophie Deldycke)

Beer, fries, chocolates and a hit movie
When it comes to indulgence in Belgium, there is no shortage of great beer, fine chocolates and sinfully crispy fries - best enjoyed in Bruges, the capital of the province of West Flanders, whose medieval city center was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

A postcard idyll of the most enchanting kind, it is naturally overrun and was given an additional boost in popularity in 2008 by Martin McDonagh's film drama "See Bruges and Die?", in which Hollywood star Colin Farrell roughed up the city as a serial killer. Since then, Bruges has been attracting even more visitors to the footpath along its sights - above all the Grote Markt with its 83-metre-high Belfry, from the top of which the 47 bronze bells of the Carrilon ring out three times a week at 11 a.m.

INFO

• Every three years, the Bruges Triennial brings contemporary art and architecture to the historic center of Bruges - this year until September 1 - all information: www.visitbruges.be/de/triennale
• Beaufort 24: The works of art in the sculpture park are scattered along the entire coast - you can admire the new additions until November 3 Info: www.triennalebeaufort.be/de

GENERAL INFORMATION: www.visitflanders.com

This year's Bruges Triennial has been given the theme "Spaces of Possibility" in order to direct the flow of tourists to other corners of the city: A geocaching of the artistic kind, twelve installations have been spread across the historic center of Brugge, Westbrugge and Zeebrugge: "deliberately in hidden and little-known places in order to temporarily reinterpret them," say the curators. These can then be discovered unobtrusively as you walk or cycle past. For example, giant bronze boots protrude from one of the picturesque canals as if they had knocked Gulliver's socks off, in a park you can swing in a grave-like pit or ring a bell on top of a wooden tower.

How much the latter annoys the people of Bruges is another matter. In any case, the artistic value and meaningfulness of some of the installations were the subject of lively discussion among the group of specialist journalists - and everyone agreed on one point: if you've always wanted to travel to Belgium, the two Triennials offer an ideal opportunity to explore the city, country and people.