Ostend is the city where King Leopold I (1790-1865) of Belgium had a wooden chalet built on a deserted sand dune and where the royal residence was located. It was King Leopold II (1835-1909) who transformed Ostend, his favourite place of residence, into the ‘The Queen of the Belgian seaside resorts’. One of the many projects of King Leopold II was the construction of a large thermal institute against the colonnade that he had built at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1929 the plans of the French architects Flegenheimer, Bard and Garella together with those of André Daniels, architect from Ostend, for this so-called ‘Badenpaleis’ (‘Thermal Palace’) were approved of. The ‘Badenpaleis’ had everything a health and spa resort needed, including a Turkish bath, mud baths and massage rooms. A swimming pool and a luxurious hotel with various conference rooms were also erected. In 1933 the majestic Thermae Palace Hotel, in Art Deco style, was officially opened by King Albert I (1875-1934) and Queen Elisabeth. Because of the unique combination of mineral water and seawater this health resort grew into one of the most important spas of the whole of Europe. Numerous noble families and even the shah and his retinue came to Ostend to try out the healing effects of the thermal baths.The ‘Thermaal Instituut’ (Thermal Institute) suffered a lot from World Word II. After the war it was reopened as ‘Badenpaleis’ (Thermal Palace) and hotel. In the beginning of the eighties the ‘Thermaal Instituut’ was gradually run down. During the nineties the unique complex was completely renovated and the new Thermae Palace saw the light of day.
The Belgian luxury hotel on the coast of Ostend, near the famous Royal Galleries and the Wellington Racecourse is an icon. Today, the legendary complex is in decline and for years it failed to develop a positive future. The Thermae Palace Complex is in a dreadful state today. Not only is it painful to see this unique building literally crumbling and peeling, structurally there are lots of problems involving the roof, the facades and even the foundations. The Galleries have actually been propped up for more than six years. Waiting any longer to take action really is not an option.