Most of these projects were focused in Brussels, where he constructed two large palaces, and Ostend, where a vast colonnaded arcade was built along the seafront in an attempt to turn the town into a fashionable seaside resort. During Leopold's reign, Belgium hosted five prestigious World Exhibitions, in 1885, 1888, 1894, 1897 and 1905, as well as a major national exhibition in 1880 to mark the 50th anniversary of Belgian independence.