Damme (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – From summer 2026, the Damse Veert canal in Damme will open as a free swimming zone. Mayor Joachim Coens confirms safety works, subsidies, and monitoring after Flemish approval of 19 sites.
As VRT News reported, from next summer, swimming will be officially allowed in the Damse Veert canal in Damme, West Flanders, Belgium, between the Oostkerke Bridge and the Syfon Bridge. The Flemish government has added this part of the canal to a list of 19 possible swimming sites and is examining the location with the Agency for Nature and Forests and concession holders.
The city of Damme has been requesting this decision for years and claims that swimmers already use the section beyond the Oostkerke Bridge. Currently, swimming is tolerated, but officials say formal recognition will give residents and visitors clarity and turn the canal into a designated recreational zone.
What plans will make the Damse Veert canal a free swimming zone by 2026?
The city is also preparing a broader plan to open a free swimming zone by the summer of 2026. To make this possible, Damme wants to install a pontoon or steps so that people can enter and leave the water safely. The authorities expect those procedures to move forward in time for the opening.
“We will also regularly monitor the water quality,”
says Mayor Joachim Coens (CD&V).
Mayor Joachim Coens says the part of the Damse Veert canal between the Oostkerke Bridge and the Syfon Bridge is the most suitable site for a new swimming zone. The stretch is still listed as a navigable waterway, but both bridges at the ends can no longer be opened. This means that no boats use the area and there is no risk of swimmers coming into conflict with shipping.
“The other sections of the Damse Vaart canal are already in use,”
Coens continues.
“Boats sail between Bruges and Damme, and between Damme and Oostkerke, there are often a lot of fishermen. That makes the section beyond the Oostkerke Bridge the ideal spot for a swim.”
Coens explains that the costs are expected to stay limited because the adjustments involve simple measures such as adding safe entry and exit points. The exact price tag has not yet been fixed, but the city expects it will not be high. Damme will also be able to rely on subsidies from the Flemish government to support the project.
In February 2024, the Flemish government approved new regulations that introduced the concept of “vrije zwemzones,” allowing free public swimming in rivers and canals under strict safety and water quality standards.
19 possible sites were selected for review, and the Damse Veert in Damme was placed on that list. The city had already asked for this recognition for several years. In May 2023, Damme also dealt with blue-green algae in nearby waters.
