Ostend museums · Transport
Transport · since 1932
The sailing ship Mercator
original name: Zeilschip Mercator
A three-masted barquentine of 1932, built at Leith to the design of the polar explorer Adrien de Gerlache as the training ship of the Belgian merchant fleet — a protected monument and probably the best-known ship in the country. Twenty-eight years of service brought fifty-four voyages and only two masters; since 1960 she has lain in the Ostend marina. The ship has no collection. What the Mercator is remembered for is no longer aboard: of the two moai brought from Easter Island, the Belgian one — Pou Hakanononga, six tonnes of andesite — stands in the Cinquantenaire in Brussels, the second went to the French, and the remains of Father Damien have long been at Leuven.
Minimum route
45 minutes to an hour
Founded
1932
Ticket
from €8
Today
10:00–17:00
What to see
The ship herself, of 1932: fifteen sails of 1,600 square metres in all, the deck, the cadets’ quarters, the officers’ cabins, the chart room. The ship’s operating room, which served as a mortuary chapel when the Mercator carried the remains of Father Damien from New Zealand to Antwerp in 1936. The memory of the seventh voyage of 1934–1935, from which she brought back the Franco-Belgian Easter Island expedition and two moai.
Minimum route — 45 minutes to an hour for the essentials
Three quarters of an hour.
- 15 minutesthe deck and the rig: fifteen sails on three masts.
- 15 minutesthe cadets’ quarters and the officers’ cabins.
- 10 minutesthe ship’s operating room, which served as a mortuary chapel in 1936.
- 5 minutesthe chart room.
Reference
About the museum
The Mercator served as the training ship of the Belgian merchant fleet from 1932 to 1960, then came to rest in Ostend and became a museum. It was designed by Adrien de Gerlache, who took the Belgica into the Antarctic winter of 1898; the ship was built to his drawings at Leith.
Getting in
How to get there
The ship lies in the marina between the station and the town hall; five minutes on foot from the station.
Opening timeschecked on 19 August 2026, the museum website
closed for the day
| Mon | closed |
| Tue–Sun today | 10:00–17:00 |
last admission 1 h before closing
April to October daily except Monday. November to March, Saturdays and Sundays only. During school holidays and on public holidays open daily except Monday. Last admission around 16:00.
Ticketschecked on 19 August 2026, the museum website
Adults €8. Under 6 free, under 14 €6, students up to 25 and teachers €7. No need to book: tickets are bought at the gangway.
from €8
When to go
In winter the ship opens only at weekends, which is worth checking before setting out. The deck is open, and in the rain the visit shortens itself.
Contacts
Of interest to children
Children usually like a ship: here one climbs about instead of walking past cases. The companionways are steep and the smallest need a hand held.
· No. 86