Discovering Beauty Amidst the Unappealing

After strolling through Ostend for a couple of days, it's hard to overlook the city's transformation. Once hailed as one of the coast's gems, it now wears a cloak of architectural chaos and aesthetic dismay. The grandeur of yesteryears, which began during the era of King Leopold I and later continued under King Leopold II, along with the artistic legacy of luminaries like Ensor and Permeke in the 19th century and persisted until the end of the interbellum, has been overshadowed by the towering presence of uninspired apartment blocks and houses from the 1960s. At times, the sight is so jarring that it borders on the comical - Westerkawartier, Ostend, Belgium