The historic villa district in Anglo-Norman style emerged from 1889 in the dunes of Klemskerke and Vlissegem. In that year, the Belgian State granted 50 hectares of dunes between the tramline and the sea to private individuals on a 90-year lease (concession) for 90 years. The villas were constructed according to a predetermined urban planning pattern and strict regulations. As the expiration date of the concession agreement approached, the strict regulations in the Concession became more relaxed.
When several beautiful properties were demolished, the action committee for the preservation of the Concession and the village center of De Haan was established in 1977. In 1986, a ministerial decision established the Special Development Plan for the Concession. It was not until 1995 that the entire Concession was protected as a village landscape.
You can learn about how the Concession was ultimately protected at ten information pillars in the Park La Potinière in De Haan.
Recommendations
- Villa Savoyarde: residence of Albert Einstein in 1933 (Shakespearelaan)
- The villas of Vaerwyck (mostly in the Rembrandtlaan)
- The current town hall (currently under restoration), formerly the first luxury hotel with running hot water (Leopoldlaan 24)
