De Panne

 De Panne is a municipality in the Western corner of Belgium, close to the Belgian border. Although not the biggest of coastal cities it is worth mentioning that it has it's own place in history. At the coast we can find the statue of Leopold 1, the first king of Belgium. This is not a coincidence as De Panne was the first place where Leopold 1 set foot on Belgian soil. Since then the small fisher village has evolved into a tourist hub, where it takes advantage of its position at the border. The village evolved in the latter stages of the 19th century into the tourist hub we know today. As it lays on the largest tramtrack in the world it is well connected with all the other Belgian holiday destinations at the coast. The economy especially booms in the summer where we see an increase in population from 11 000 to 60 000, with the mayor describing this as his own Werchter, as the tourists treat their stay in De Panne as a festival. 
The city his proximity to the border can be seen as both an advantage and disadvantage. With an economic advantage as it facilitates a lot of Tabaco shops, specifically marketed for the French crossing the border for the cheaper Tabaco products. A disadvantage can be found in the plans of the French government in building a wind farm park at the border with Belgium just 10 km into the sea. This wind farm will cause an obstruction in the aesthetic view of the inhabitants of De Panne, bringing no real economic gains for the city of De Panne. 




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