Abdijmuseum Ten Duinen
On the southern edge of Koksijde are the ruins of the Cistercian Duinenabdij (Abbey of the Dunes), founded in 1107 and destroyed by the iconoclasts in 1566. Traces of the original abbey, the cloisters, and columns from the refectory remain. An adjacent archaeological museum shows collections from the digs, as well as interesting examples of regional plants and animals.
A few minutes' walk east from the abbey, on Kerkplein, the strikingly modern architecture of the Onze-Lieve-Vrouw ter Duinenkerk (Our Lady of Sorrows of the Dunes Church), suggests both the dunes and the sea through bold colors, undulating forms, and stained glass. A crypt holds the remains of the first abbot of the abbey.
