When, in August 1914, the Germans invaded Belgium, this "queen of watering-places" offered a strangely moving sight until the middle of October. British troops disembarked from the transports, marched in long files through the streets, and encamped in the surroundings. Refugees from all parts were temporarily housed in the bathing cabins. "Zeppelins" and "Taubes" completed the terror and panic caused by the approach of the invaders. The trains were crammed, and the maritime station crowded with thousands of people seeking to get across to Britain. The retirement of the Belgian Army along the littoral, after the fall of Antwerp, marked the end of the season of 1914. On October 14, the Germans occupied the town, from which the visitors and part of the inhabitants had fled. Naval defences were organised, the dike and dunes armed, while the palaces and villas along the dike, the Kursaal, and other public buildings were occupied by the military staffs. The town suffered severely from this occupation. British shells and aeroplane bombs unavoidably increased the damage. The maritime station, and a number of hotels and private residences in the central and eastern districts were partly destroyed, while the glazed roof of the Banqueting Hall of the Kursaal collapsed. Many public buildings were transformed into Hospitals, dressing-stations, and even stables. The furniture of the fine villas along the sea-front was either sent to Germany or burnt as firewood. The wine-cellars were emptied. Defilements, in accordance with Kultur's best practice, went hand-in-hand with the destructions. Reconstruction and cleansing will require much time and work. Yet, true to her past, Ostend will rise again, more beautiful than ever, from her ruins. [Illustration: _Itinerary for visiting Ostend (indicated by the thick lines): The Chalet Royal, Kursaal, Leopold Park, Chaussée de Thourout, Tirpitz Battery, Rue de Leffingue, Docks, Church of St. Peter and Paul, Outer Harbour, Wooden Pier, Hôtel-de-Ville, Marie-Henriette Park (on leaving), Napoleon Fort._] [Illustration: Ostend Sands. _Gneisenau Battery, in front of the Royal Palace Hôtel._] A VISIT TO OSTEND. _On entering the town, skirt the +Wellington Hippodrome+, in front of which_ portions of the old Wellington Fort _may still be seen at the end of the Western Dike. In front of the terrace of the Royal Palace Hôtel, on the dike, is_ the ="Gneisenau" Battery= armed with 4in. guns _(photo above)_. _Take Avenue des Courses to the =Chalet Royal=. Go round the latter by Rue Courbe._ _Between Avenue des Courses and Rue Courbe opens out, on the right_, the fine Avenue de la Reine, which connects the dike with the Grand Parc Marie-Henriette _(see p. 67)_. [Illustration: +The Sands and Chalet Royal, before the war+ _(Photo Nels.)_] [Illustration: +Ostend. The Sea Wall.+ _On the left:_ +The Kursaal+. _On the right:_ +Concrete Shelter+ _Further on (to the left)_ +The Chalet Royal+