Tourists used to visit the main post office in Ostend to send a postcard or two. The striking modernist building inspired by Le Corbusier was built by the Ghent architect Gaston Eysselinck between 1947 and 1953.
After the post office moved to a more modest location in the 1990s, the building lay empty for several years. The city council finally decided to convert it into a cultural centre. The Antwerp architects B-Architecten lovingly restored the modernist details such as the post office counters, giant friezes and 12 vintage phone booths.
Named De Grote Post (The Main Post Office), the cultural centre draws audiences with an adventurous programme of theatre, dance, comedy and concerts. Its spacious café is popular with a mix of locals and tourists who drop in for lunch, coffee or a local Ostend Keyte beer.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
