now - Visit Flanders

Transcription

www.tourismflandersfields.be
for Ypres
for Ypres
& Westhoek
& Westhoek
GroteGrote
Markt
Markt
34 34
89008900
IeperIeper
T. 0032(0)-57
T. 0032(0)-57
23 92
2320
92 20
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.visitypres.be
www.visitypres.be
• LO-RENINGE
• LO-RENINGE
Markt
Markt
17a,17a,
Lauka
Lauka
86478647
Lo-Reninge
Lo-Reninge
T. 0032(0)-58
T. 0032(0)-58
28 91
2866
91 66
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.lauka.be
www.lauka.be
• MESEN
• MESEN
• ALVERINGEM
• ALVERINGEM
Markt
Markt
22, 8957
22, 8957
Mesen
Mesen
Sint Sint
Rijkersstraat
Rijkersstraat
19 19
T. 0032(0)-57
T. 0032(0)-57
22 17
2214
17 14
86908690
Alveringem
Alveringem
[email protected]
[email protected]
T. 0032(0)-58
T. 0032(0)-58
28 88
2881
88 81
www.mesen.be
www.mesen.be
[email protected]
[email protected]
• POPERINGE
• POPERINGE
www.alveringem.be
www.alveringem.be
GroteGrote
Markt
Markt
1, 8970
1, 8970
Poperinge
Poperinge
• DIKSMUIDE
• DIKSMUIDE
T. 0032(0)-57
T. 0032(0)-57
34 66
3476-77
66 76-77
GroteGrote
Markt
Markt
28 28
[email protected]
[email protected]
86008600
Diksmuide
Diksmuide
www.toerismepoperinge.be
T. 0032(0)-51
T. 0032(0)-51
51 91
5146
91 46
• STADEN
• STADEN
[email protected]
[email protected]
Marktplaats
Marktplaats
2, 8840
2, 8840
Staden
Staden
www.diksmuide.be
www.diksmuide.be
T. 0032(0)-51
T. 0032(0)-51
70 82
7000
82 00
• HEUVELLAND
• HEUVELLAND
[email protected]
[email protected]
Sint-Laurentiusplein
Sint-Laurentiusplein
1 1
www.staden.be
www.staden.be
89508950
Kemmel
Kemmel
• VEURNE
• VEURNE
T. 0032(0)-57
T. 0032(0)-57
45 04
4555
04 55
GroteGrote
Markt
Markt
29, 29,
[email protected]
[email protected]
86308630
Veurne
Veurne
www.heuvelland.be
www.heuvelland.be
T. 0032(0)-58
T. 0032(0)-58
33 55
3331
55 31
• HOOGLEDE
• HOOGLEDE
[email protected]
[email protected]
Marktplaats
Marktplaats
1, 8830
1, 8830
Hooglede
Hooglede
www.veurne.be
www.veurne.be
T. 0032(0)-51
T. 0032(0)-51
20 30
2030
30 30
• VVV
• VVV
VEURNEVEURNEAMBACHT
AMBACHT
[email protected]
[email protected]
HuisHuis
de Bryarde
de Bryarde
12 12
www.hooglede.be
www.hooglede.be
86308630
Beauvoorde
Beauvoorde
(Veurne)
(Veurne)
• HOUTHULST
• HOUTHULST
T. 0032(0)-58
T. 0032(0)-58
29 92
2929
92 29
Markt
Markt
17, 8650
17, 8650
Houthulst
Houthulst
• VLETEREN
• VLETEREN
T. 0032(0)-51
T. 0032(0)-51
46 08
4694
08 94
Kasteelstraat
Kasteelstraat
39 39
[email protected]
[email protected]
86408640
Vleteren
Vleteren
www.houthulst.be
www.houthulst.be
T. 0032(0)-57
T. 0032(0)-57
40 00
4099
00 99
• KOEKELARE
[email protected]
[email protected]
I • KOEKELARE
Sint-Maartensplein
Sint-Maartensplein
15B 15B
www.vleteren.be
www.vleteren.be
86808680
Koekelare
Koekelare
• WERVIK
• WERVIK
T. 0032(0)-51
T. 0032(0)-51
58 92
5801
92 01
Koestraat
Koestraat
63, 8940
63, 8940
Wervik
Wervik
[email protected]
[email protected]
T. 0032(0)-56
T. 0032(0)-56
95 24
9525
24 25
www.koekelare.be
www.koekelare.be
[email protected]
[email protected]
• KORTEMARK
• KORTEMARK
http://toerisme.wervik.be
Torhoutstraat
Torhoutstraat
9 9
• ZONNEBEKE
• ZONNEBEKE
86108610
Werken
Werken
(Kortemark)
(Kortemark)
Ieperstraat
Ieperstraat
7A 7A
T. 0032(0)-51
T. 0032(0)-51
56 61
5608
61 08
89808980
Zonnebeke
Zonnebeke
T. 0032(0)-51
T. 0032(0)-51
57 09
5715
09 15
T. 0032(0)-51
T. 0032(0)-51
77 04
7741
04 41
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.kortemark.be
www.kortemark.be
www.zonnebeke.be
www.zonnebeke.be
• LANGEMARK-POELKAPELLE
• NIEUWPOORT
• NIEUWPOORT
Kasteelstraat
Kasteelstraat
1 1
Marktplein
Marktplein
7, 8620
7, 8620
Nieuwpoort
Nieuwpoort
89208920
Langemark
Langemark
T. 0032(0)-58
T. 0032(0)-58
22 44
2244
44 44
T. 0032(0)-57
T. 0032(0)-57
49 09
4941
09 41
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.nieuwpoort.be
www.nieuwpoort.be
www.langemark-poelkapelle.be
The The
Flanders
Flanders
Fields
Fields
Countr
Countr
y
y
The
TheFlanders
FlandersFields
Fields
Country
Country&&
The
TheGreat
GreatWar
War
The Flanders Fields Country & The Great War
• VISITORS
• VISITORS
CENTRE
CENTRE
Westhoek
Westhoek
Info:Info:
Koning
Koning
Albert
Albert
I-laan
I-laan
120,120,
B-8200
B-8200
Brugge
Brugge
T. 0032(0)-50
T. 0032(0)-50
30 55
30 00
55 00
[email protected]
[email protected]
CAFÉS
CAFÉS
RESTAURANTS
RESTAURANTS
WALKING
WALKING
CYCLING
CYCLING
ROUTES
ROUTES
EVENTS
EVENTS
GASTRONOMY
GASTRONOMY
MUSEUMS
MUSEUMS
CEMETERIES
CEMETERIES
ROUTES
ROUTES
SITES
SITES
MONUMENTS
MONUMENTS
GREAT
GREAT
WAR
WAR
MEMORIES
MEMORIES
OOSTENDE
’THE GREAT WAR’ IN THE FLANDERS FIELDS
COUNTRY
Sas Slijke
Mariakerke
The Flanders Field Country
The Flanders Fields Country - Introduction ................................................. p. 1
Tips Westhoek ........................................................................................................... p. 4
Road map ................................................................................................................... p. 6
Map of municipalities in the Westhoek ........................................................... p. 9
Konterdam
Raversijde
NOORDZEE
Middelkerke
MIDDELKERKE
Bad
Wilskerke
Westende
Leffinge
Snaaskerk
Bad
THE MUNICIPALITIES OF THE WESTHOEK .................................. p. 10
Slijpe Brug
Alveringem .............................................................................................................. p. 11
Westende
Slijpe
Nieuwpoort
Diksmuide ................................................................................................................ p. 11
Lombardsijde
aan zee
Heuvelland ............................................................................................................... p. 13
Oostduinkerke
E40
Zevekote
3 IJzer Sint-Joris
aan zee
Moerd
Hooglede .................................................................................................................. p. 14
St. Pieters
NIEUWPOORT
Kapelle
Moere
Koksijde
Houthulst ................................................................................................................. p. 14
Oostduinkerke
Mannekensvere
aan zee
rt
Spermalie
poo
Zande
St.-Idesbald
Ieper (Ypres) .......................................................................................................... p. 15
Ramskapelle
ieuw
Schore
rne-N
Veu
Koekelare ................................................................................................................. p. 17
KOKSIJDE
DE PANNE
Wulpen
Kruishoek
Leke
Schoorbakke
Kortemark ............................................................................................................... p. 18
KOEK
N35
Mokker
Langemark-Poelkapelle ..................................................................................... p. 19
Duinhoek
Booitshoeke
Stuivekenskerke
Pervijze
Keiem
Lo-Reninge .............................................................................................................. p. 19
Bray-Dunes
Adinkerke
13
Mesen (Messines) ................................................................................................. p. 20
Avekapelle
kerque
un
D
al De
First and foremost,
you are
coming to our region to remember,
Beerst
VEURNE
E40
Zuydcoote
21 Can
Poperinge ................................................................................................................. p.
Steenkerke
Bove
Ghyvelde
to honour the memory of those who
died. For this2breason, this
Zoutenaaie
Staden ....................................................................................................................... p. 22
Vladslo
De Moeren
Eggewaartskapelle
brochure
devotes
considerable
attention
to
the
First
World
Veurne ....................................................................................................................... p. 22
Kaaskerke
Hand
Oostkerke
za
DIKSMUIDE
War. But theBulskamp
Flanders Fields Country - also known locally
as Esen mevaart W
23
Vleteren .................................................................................................................... p.Leffrinckoucke
Lampernisse
l
a
na
2a
rt It is a
a
a
the
Westhoek
has
more
to
offer
than
that.
warm
and
K
a
p. 25
Wervik .......................................................................................................................
Oeren
Téteghem
Sint-Jakobs
r ne
atv
Fortem
Les Moëres Veu
pg
kapelle
Wulveringem
N35
Slo and friendly people.
welcoming region,
full
Zonnebeke ............................................................................................................... p. 26 Uxem
Vinkem of beautiful scenery
Zarren
Houtem
Oudekapelle
Nieuwe
ALVERINGEM
And
as
you
will
discover,
the
Westhoek
is
a
great
place
for
Driekapellen
Woumen
herberg
The West Coast ...................................................................................................... p. 28
the Flanders Fields Country
& the great War
IJz
er
Lo
va
ar
t
EVENTS
............................................................................................ p. 38
Hoymille
.................................................................................................................. p. 52
Canal de
Doorntje
Klerken
Sint-Rijkers
visitors
and Izenberge
holiday-makers
of all kinds. Nieuwkapelle
The last veteran
of
the
Great
War,
Harry
Patch
(+2009),
Leisele
Spaarbekken
Hoogstade
HOU
HONDSCHOOTE
De Blankaart
once said during
a visit to the old LO-RENINGE
front: ”Always
remember
Gijverinkhove
Jonkershove
14
Pollinkhove
both sides of the line”. He was referring
to the war, of course,
IJzer
as a whole!
Noordschote
Killem
Killem but you can apply his comment to our region
la Basse
Colme
t
TOURIST ROUTES
.................................................................................... p. 32
Lovaar
BEER & BREWERIES
Warhem
al
eek
kana
melb
IJzer
Kem
WAR AND PEACE IN THE WESTHOEK ............................................... p. 54
Killem-Linde
5 Merkem
Reninge
Beginning .....................................................................................................
p. 56
Beveren
Stavele
St.
Rexpoede
Socx
Jan
sbe
Quaëdypre
■ Four years of war ............................................................................................. p.
62
ek
Les 5 Chemins
VLETEREN
Westvleteren
We
r
e
West
More
than
just
war
z
Oostvleteren
Bikschote
■ The front ............................................................................................................... p. 73
Cappel
IJ RoesbruggeHaringe
11
Oost
Luzerne
■ Unoccupied Belgium .......................................................................................
N8
Cappel
LANGEMARKp.
99
Bissezeele
P
Krombeke
Wylder
A green And
pleAsAntZuidschote
lAnd POELKAPELLE
■ The occupied territory .................................................................................. p.r109
e
Haringe
Jz
Woesten
I
Canadien
■ Belgian war cemeteries ............................................................................... p. 114
Boezinge
Bambecque
Proven
The Westhoek district
of the Flandersar Fields Country is more than Sint-Juliaan
Esquelbecq
■ Commonwealth war cemeteries ...............................................................
p. 117
Herzeele
t
6
Elverdingelandscape,
justHoutkerque
an old battlefield. Nowadays, it offers a pleasing
8
Zegerscappel
■ French war cemeteries ................................................................................
p. 122
ZONN
WORMHOUT
stretching
from
the
flat
polders
of
the
coastal
plain
to
the
green
hills
IEPER
Brielen
■ German war cemeteries .............................................................................. p. 123
along the French Sint-Jan-ter
border.
Nature is all
around, making the region an
Biezen
POPERINGE
V
■ Memories .......................................................................................................... p. 125
Sint-Jan Potyze
Ledringhem
7a
Vlamertinge
Brandhoek and networks make
ideal
place toWatou
walk or cycle. Signposted routes
■ 14-18 Tourist routes ..................................................................................... p. 127
Droogland
1
N38
and delightful
Winnezeele it easy to find your way around. Authentic villages
Kruisstraat
Oudezeele
Zillebeekse
ek
lbe
towns will charm anyone with
a sense of history
or a love of peace vijver Zillebeke
ek
me
e
m
e
rb
e
K
t
e
and A25
quiet.
Zermezeele
Vl 7b
Ouderdom Dikkebus
10
■ The
Iep
erl
P o pe r i n g e v
ee
a
WD/3029/2012/03
Abele
Zwarte Lee
ote
COLOPHON
Hardifort
RESPONSABLE EDITOR: STEFAAN GHEYSEN - WESTTOER
CHIEF EDITORS: JOHAN MARTIN, VALÉRIE HEYMAN - WESTTOER
CASSEL
TEXT EDITORS: JOHAN MARTIN, FREDERIK DEMEYERE (P. 53), PIET CHIELENS (P. 86 - 88)
TRANSLATION: IAN CONNERTY - IEPER
Terdeghem
PHOTOGHRAPHY: WESTTOER, TOURIST OFFICES WESTHOEK, D. DE KIEVITH, IFFM, IWMOxelaere
Bavinchove
LONDON, ERIC DEBEIR, B.AD, DAVID SAMYN, VALÉRIE HEYMAN
Ste Marie
Cappel
SPECIAL THANKS TO MR. LEO VAN BERGEN AND MR. MENNO WIELINGA
St. Sylvestre
Cappel
WE ALSO THANK THE IN FLANDERS FIELDS MUSEUM YPRES AND THE MEMORIAL MUSEUM
Hondeghem
PASSCHENDAELE 1917 ZONNEBEKE FOR THE SMALL PICTURES OF WAR RELICS IN THIS
BROCHURE.
Staple
MAPS & ILLUSTRATIONS: POL BONDUELLE - IPS-CREATION - POPERINGE
LAY-OUT: PREPRESS: IPS-CREATION - POPERINGE - PH. 0032 57 33 88 79
PRINTED BY: VAN MAELE-VAN SEVENANT - BRUGGE
HAZEBROUCK
N38
Voormezele
Gr
The Flanders Field Country & The Great War
CONTENTS
B
Z
1
STEENVOORDE
Dikkebusse
vijver
Reningelst
Boeschepe
Godewaersvelde
Eecke
Caestre
Monts
des Cats
Westouter
De Klijte
Sint-Eloois
Hollebeke
Vierstraat
Wijtschate
Berthen
Loker
Loker
Dranouter
St. Jans
Cappel
4
Wulvergem
Flêtre
Meteren
BAILLEUL
H
Oosttaverne
HEUVELLAND
Kemmel
C
MESEN
12
Douve
Warneton
Lys
Nieuwkerke
Borre
Deulemo
Strazeele
Ploegsteert
Merris
Frelinghien
Outersteene
Nieppe
Steenwerck
Lys
Houplines
3
Hundreds of cafés, restaurants and summer terraces will pleasantly
surprise visitors. And the region is famous for its delicious, locallybrewed beers! Gastronomy in the Westhoek can range from a tasty
local speciality, right through to star-quality
cooking in a top restaurant. Wherever you go
you will be pampered and spoilt, by a people famous for their warm hospitality. And there is no
problem about where to stay: the region has a
wide range of hotels, bed & breakfasts, holiday
homes and camping sites.
English spoken
As you probably know… almost everyone
here speaks your language. True, some
speak it better than others, but everybody is
prepared to give it a try!
In Flanders the native tongue is Flemish - also
referred to as Dutch. There are some minor
differences between Flemish and Dutch, a bit
like the difference between the English spoken
in Britain and the English spoken in America.
And you will be amazed how many other common ties our region has with your country.
Hopefully, you will discover them all during
your stay in the Flanders Fields Country.
You are certainly more than welcome.
This brochure will offer you a first brief
introduction to all these many different aspects of the Flanders Fields Country.
The Great War
Sadly, it is undeniable that the region was badly scarred by the First
World War. The reminders are everywhere to be seen. Hundreds of
thousands of soldiers were killed and many more wounded.The local
people were forced to flee to the safety of neighbouring France or
the United Kingdom. Many returned after the war, but the population never again reached pre-1914 levels. Even so, the ruined
towns and villages were all rebuilt, and Ypres (now
known as Ieper) rose like a Phoenix from its
ashes: an almost perfect copy of the medieval
city which had been destroyed during the
fighting. Some people think that the new
city is a lie: visitors who know nothing
of the war can scarcely believe that this
elegant ’old’ city is less than 100 years
old! Fake or not, it took almost half a
century - not to mention untold quantities
of blood, sweat and tears - to restore Ypres
to its former glory.
However, there is no denying the reality of the hundreds
of military cemeteries, monuments and war relics which
dot the countryside around the city: terrible reminders
which will guarantee that the memory of this tragic moment in human history can never be erased. This memory
must be kept alive and cherished, not only to ensure that
it never happens again, but also in honour of the sacrifice
of so many young lives, lost in what some people now call
a senseless war.
The second part of the brochure is devoted to this subject.
(See page 54)
2
4
WESTHOEKJES 10 TIPS
5
The Westhoek, pure enjoyment!
There are many different ways to explore the Westhoek. You
can make a day of it with the kids, go messing about with your
friends or turn it into a romantic interlude with your ’significant
other’. Whichever way you choose, we can offer you a series of
tourist tips for along the way, guaranteed to satisfy bon-vivants,
nature-lovers, sports fans and culture-vultures alike. Here are
ten different ways to get the very best out of the Westhoek!
By solex
A solex is a modern moped: a bike with a two-stroke engine attached
to the front wheel. You can still ride it like an ordinary bike, or you can
turn on the engine when the going gets tough! It’s a great way to explore the countryside or follow one of the five pre-programmed routes.
And to make sure you don’t get lost, the hire of the solex comes with a
GPS. But remember! To ride a solex you need a valid driving license or
a moped permit. More info: www.rentasolex.be
By pedal-power
You can either bring your own bike or hire a quality two-wheeler from
one of the many rental outlets in the region. For those who like the
challenge of teamwork, tandems are also available! So too are bike
trailers for your smallest kids. You can explore the cycling network to
a route of your own choosing or else you can follow one of the many
pre-programmed cycling circuits. For more bike tips, maps and details
of the rental outlets: www.tourismflandersfields.be
By covered wagon
A ride in a traditional covered wagon is always a memorable experience. It is the perfect way to enjoy the pleasures of the countryside,
with its winding roads and tinkling streams. And there are plenty of
stops along the way, perhaps for a refreshing drink or a bite to eat, or
else to visit a museum or play a traditional folk-game. You can’t beat
it! More info: www.volkssportroute.be - 0032(0)-57 34 66 76
By boat
Do you fancy steering a sun-boat, or maybe just going along for the
ride? ’De Boot’ (The Boat) offers you a wide range of options, for
Best foot forward!
The Westhoek can offer a number of excellent walking routes through
pleasing but varied countryside: across fields, up hill, down dale, along
the water… If you prefer to follow your own route, the walking network - with its system of interconnected junction points - is just the
thing for you. And remember to take a look at the various walking
packages on www.tourismflandersfields.be.
By helicopter
Everything looks different from the air - and the Westhoek is no exception! Take a trip in a helicopter and enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the
region. Helipromotions offers flights over the Flemish hills or along
the battlefields and monuments of the First World War.
More info: www.helipromotions.be and www.battlefields.be 0032(0)-51 50 56 56
By donkey
Would you like to make the acquaintance of Pauline, Gertrude, Henri,
François, Juliette and Charel? You can meet them all if you trot along
for a donkey ride in the hills of Heuvelland! Our smallest visitors can
make a supervised trip of between 6 and 15 km on the back of one
of these gentle beasts of burden. More info: www.de-diligence.com 0032(0)-57 44 79 39
By pedal-car
If your exploration of the Westhoek finally brings you to the seaside,
why not take a spin along the promenade in a pedal-car? Most of the
resorts on the West Coast have a wide variety of different types for
hire. And if you prefer to stay in the Westhoek proper, you can always
try your luck in Diksmuide. ’Buitenbeentje’ hires pedal cars which you
can use to make various interesting visits (a horse milk dairy, the Oerbier brewery, etc.).
More info: www.buitenbeentje.be - 0032(0)-495 57 62 47
THE FLANDERS FIELD COUNTRY
THE FLANDERS FIELD COUNTRY
By scooter
Various accommodation outlets (guest rooms and hotels) have Vespas
for hire, so that you can discover our region in style! These Italian
scooters are currently very ’trendy’ - for people of all ages! For details
of the accommodation outlets where scooters are available, please
consult: www.tourismflandersfields.be
In addition, you can also hire a scooter (one-seater or two-seater) in
the town of Veurne. The crash-helmets allow two-way communication between the different riders. Once again, you can follow a preprogrammed route with the GPS provided. Or else you can just go off
wandering on your own.
More info: www.scootertoerisme.be - 0032(0)- 58 31 14 46
hours of fun both on the water or along the riverbank.
More info: www.deboot.be - 0032(0)-475 21 43 20
A river cruise on the ’IJzerstar’ will allow you to discover the charming
countryside between Diksmuide and Nieuwpoort in an original and
relaxing manner. More info: www.seastar.be - 0032(0)-58 23 24 25
For nature-lovers, the highlight of their stay is an early morning spin
on the calm waters of the Blankaert nature reserve in one of the electrically-driven ’whisper boats’ of Natuurpunt (a local nature group).
Listen to the dawn-chorus and just enjoy all that pure nature!
More info: www.otter.be - 0032(0)-51 54 59 48
Zee
OOSTENDE
6
Mariakerke
Meetkerke
Konterdam
Stalhille
N
Nieuwpoort
aan zee
Leffinge
NIEUWPOORT
Koksijde
aan zee
St.-Idesbald
Oostduinkerke
KOKSIJDE
DE PANNE
ie
Booitshoeke
KOEKELARE
t
Oeren
Wulveringem
p
Sint-Jakobs
kapelle
rt
Hoogstade
Killem-Linde
Luzerne
The N
Boeschepe
Terdeghem
England
e
Vl
N38
s
etherland
STEENVOORDE
CASSEL
Oxelaere
Ke
Ste Marie
Cappel
Godewaersvelde
Eecke
Caestre
Kruisstraat
De Klijte
Loker
Loker
Dranouter
Dranouter
HEUVELLAND
Kemmel
France
LEDEGEM
Geluveld
Comines
Warneton
Lys
Wervicq-Sud
Frelinghien
Steenwerck
Lys
Houplines
Rekkem
Heule
QUESNOY
sur deule
Bondues
5km
Lei
e
Marke
Aalbeke
Rollegem
Bousbecque
Linselle
LILLE
PARIS 
0km
Nieppe
Lauwe
Bas Warneton
Deulemont
Outersteene
WEVELGEM
Halluin
Ploegsteert
Merris
ebeek
WERVIK
COMINES
Nieuwkerke
Strazeele
Geluw
Geluwe
MENEN
MESEN
Douve
BAILLEUL
Zandvoorde
Houthem
Bissegem
GENT A19
KORTRIJK
Wulvergem
St. Jans
Cappel
Gullegem
Moorsele
Oosttaverne
Borre
HAZEBROUCK
K
ek
Dadizele
Hollebeke
Wijtschate
Meteren
lebe
H
B
Sint-Eloois
Winkel
Terhand
Sint-Eloois
Vierstraat
Flêtre
Staple
Beselare
Voormezele
Westouter
Berthen
Heu
Zillebeekse
vijver Zillebeke
Zwarte Leen
Dikkebusse
vijver
LENDELEDE
RollegemKapelle
Keiberg
Verloren Hoek
Potyze
Ouderdom Dikkebus
Reningelst
Belgium
St. Sylvestre
Cappel
Hondeghem
Monts
des Cats
ote
Abele
k
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Gr
A25
Hardifort
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ter
ZONNEBEKE
Sint-Jan
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MOORSLEDE
A19
N38
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Oekene
Beitem
Sint-Juliaan
Het Veld
Kachtem
Emelgem
Vossemolen
Passendale
Canadien
Vlamertinge
Brandhoek
De Ruiter
Zilverberg
Elverdinge
Watou
Manegem
Kuipendaarde
Rumbeke
Poelkapelle
ee
t
Winnezeele
Zermezeele
Westrozebeke
erl
Boezinge
Brielen
Droogland
Beveren
ROESELARE
Oostnieuwkerke
Iep
Woesten
POPERINGE
Sint-Jan-ter Biezen
Ledringhem
Oudezeele
ek
LANGEMARKPOELKAPELLE
Zuidschote
Houtkerque
WORMHOUT
sbe
a
cappel
Jan
Bikschote
N8
ar
St.
l
Proven
Herzeele
Sleihage
Vijfwege
anaa
Haringe
Bambecque
Esquelbecq
VLETEREN
Oostvleteren
Krombeke
Wijnendale
Tasse
eek
Haringe
ARDOOIE
HOOGLEDE
STADEN
Merkem
melb
er
Westvleteren
P o pe r i n g e v
IJz
er
IJz Roesbrugge-
Oost
Cappel
Wylder
Reninge
Reninge
Stavele
TI
PITTEM
Koolskamp
Gits
Noordschote
IJzerk
le
Beveren
Les 5 Chemins
West
Cappel
Geite
Jonkershove
Kem
Quaëdypre
beek
HOUTHULST
Pollinkhove
IJzer
Ege
N32
Kapellehoek
Spaarbekken
De Blankaart
LO-RENINGE
Gijverinkhove
Rexpoede
Zarren
Klerken
Zwevezele
Rijken
Haantje
Woumen
WIN
LICHTERVELDE
KORTEMARK
Werken Handzame
N35
Driekapellen
Nieuwkapelle
Killem
Killem
Socx
aart
Zarren
Oudekapelle
Sint-Rijkers
Leisele
Hoymille
Slo
tv
ga
ALVERINGEM
Izenberge
HONDSCHOOTE
Warhem
Nieuwe
herberg
Esen
rt
aa
Scheewege
Hille
del
Doorntje
Colme
DIKSMUIDE
zamev
Veldhoek
Bredensweger
Lovaa
Basse
nal de la
Fortem
Vinkem
Houtem
Hand
Lampernisse
ar
Les Moëres
Uxem
va
Veu
Kaaskerke
Oostkerke
Lo
Bulskamp
aal
TORHOUT
Edewalle
Vladslo
Eggewaartskapelle
Kan
r ne
He
Ruddervoorde
Wynendaele
Bovekerke
Zoutenaaie
Leffrinckoucke
Téteghem
Beerst
Steenkerke
De Moeren
ICHTEGEM
Keiem
Avekapelle
VEURNE
E40
Ghyvelde
Veldegem
Geuzenbos
Mokker
Stuivekenskerke
er
ue
unkerq
Sparappelhoek
Engel
Kruishoek
Waardamme
Aartrijke
Molendorp
Leke
Pervijze
Adinkerke
Eernegem
N33
Zande
Schoorbakke
Duinhoek
Bray-Dunes
De D
Ca
Ramskapelle
Wulpen
Moerdijk
Spermalie
Schore
OOSTKAMP
IJz
Canal
e-N
Snellegem
Bekegem
Loppem
Heidelberg
Moere
Asse
Steenbrugge
ZEDELGEM
St. Pieters
Kapelle
Mannekensvere
rt
Westkerke
Zevekote
N35
 CALAIS
DUNKERQUE
Zuydcoote
rn
Veu
oo
uwp
Roksem
GISTEL
E40
Sint-Joris
JABBEKE
Zerkegem
E40
Snaaskerke
Slijpe
Lombardsijde
IJzer
Oostduinkerke
aan zee
Varsenare
Sint-Michiels
OUDENBURG
Ettelgem
Slijpe Brug
Westende
SintGENT 
Andries
BRUSSEL
E40
Man
Wilskerke
Westende
Bad
Zandvoorde
 BRUGGE
OOSTENDE
Middelkerke
MIDDELKERKE
Bad
7
7Sint-Kruis
BRUGGE
Raversijde
north sea
NOORDZEE
Houthave
Klemskerke
BREDENE
Sas Slijkens
10km
K
9
ContentS
municipalities
North sea
Municipalities
Alveringem..................................................................................... p. 11
Diksmuide....................................................................................... p. 11
Heuvelland..................................................................................... p. 13
Hooglede.......................................................................................... p. 14
Houthulst......................................................................................... p. 14
Ieper (Ypres)............................................................................... p. 15
Koekelare......................................................................................... p. 17
Kortemark...................................................................................... p. 18
Langemark-Poelkapelle..................................................... p. 19
Lo-Reninge..................................................................................... p. 19
Mesen (Messines).................................................................... p. 20
Poperinge......................................................................................... p. 21
Staden..................................................................................................p.22
Veurne................................................................................................ p. 22
Vleteren............................................................................................ p. 23
Wervik................................................................................................ p. 25
Zonnebeke...................................................................................... p. 26
The West Coast.......................................................................... p. 28
pag. 28
pag. 28
pag. 28
pag. 28
pag. 17
pag. 22
pag. 11
pag. 11
pag. 18
pag. 14
pag. 19
pag. 14
pag. 22
BEERS & BREWERIES.............................. p. 32
toUrist routes............................................... p. 38
events 2012............................................................... p. 52
the great war................................................... p. 54
pag. 19
pag. 23
pag. 26
pag. 21
pag. 15
Every care has been taken to ensure the utmost
accuracy of all information published in this
guide at the time of going to press. The publisher
hereby expressly declines all liability for any errors that may have slipped into information such
as addresses, phone numbers, opening hours and
any consequences issuing therefrom.
© 2012 All rights reserved. Nothing contained
in this publication may be reproduced, stored in
automated data files, or made public in any way,
shape or form, be it electronically, mechanically,
by way of photocopies, recordings or any other
manner, without the written and prior consent
from the publisher. All texts and photographs
remain the exclusive property of the publisher.
pag. 25
pag. 13
france
8
pag. 20
11
The municipalities
of the Westhoek
Windmill - Alveringem
Each municipality consists of a central town or large village,
surrounded by a number of smaller, satellite villages.
Alveringem
Under the protective wing of ’mother’ Alveringem, nestle 8 charming villages, each prettier than the last. The River IJzer meanders
gently through the now peaceful landscape.
Nowhere is the meaninglessness of man-made boundaries more
evident than here in Alveringem: if you are not careful, before you
know it you will be across the border in neighbouring France!
Alveringem is rightly proud of Brewery De Snoek. This old brewery
was already providing ’refreshments’ to thirsty troops during the
First World War. The restored malting house still contains the
original copper vats which - thankfully - the invading Germans were
unable to ’liberate’!
➜ Museum of Thirst: Malt & Brewing House De Snoek
www.desnoek.be - [email protected]
T. 0032(0)-58 28 96 74
Fortem 40 in Alveringem
➜ Open Air Museum, Bachten de Kupe
Open daily from 10.00 to 16.00
www.bachtendekupe.net
T. 0032(0)-58 31 51 30
Sint-Mildredaplein 1b in Izenberge
Diksmuide
Diksmuide owes its name and fame to the medieval cloth industry
and its delicious butter. The town was reduced to rubble during the
First World War. It was the scene of a famous battle in 1914 - the
Battle of the Ijzer - when French and Belgian troops finally stopped
the German advance, but at a dreadful price. The old town centre
was rebuilt completely after the armistice. The famous IJzer
Tower (with its museum) and the equally
well-known Trench of Death (a preserved stretch of the old Belgian front
line) are now the principal reminders of
those terrible days.
But there is more! Did you know... that a 16th
century chronicle records that Archbishop
Thomas Beckett (died 1170) once stayed in
Diksmuide, during his period in exile from the
wrath of King Henry II of England.Tradition says
10
13
Beguinage in Diksmuide
Heuvelland: Bayernwald
that in gratitude he donated a chalice and a chasuble to the parish,
and he was believed to have lodged in the corner house of the beguinage, where the Kleine Dijk (Small Dyke) now meets the present-day
Begijnhofstraat. Did it really happen? Or is it just another historical myth? Whatever the truth of the matter, the corner house is still
known by the name ’Thomas of Canterbury’ and a small statue of the
saint graces a niche in the façade of No.17!
➜ Beguinage
The only beguinage in the Westhoek which dates from the 13th
century, although it was extensively rebuilt after the war.
➜ Brewery 'De Dolle Brouwers' in Esen
See under ’Beers & Breweries’ on page 35
➜ The Yserstar
Boat trips on the River IJzer, starting from Nieuwpoort
and also running on from Diksmuide to Ypres.
T. 0032(0)-58 23 24 25
➜ Helipromotions
Battlefield tours by helicopter
www.helipromotions.be
T. 0032(0)-51 50 56 00
Kleine Dries 17 in Diksmuide
➜ IJzer Tower,
See under WWI on page 76
➜ The Trench of Death
➜ German Military Cemetery in Vladslo
Diksmuide
Town Centre
Heuvelland
Did you know that... during the 16th century the cloth trade - on which
the region’s prosperity was based - went into serious decline? Poverty
and unemployment increased, offering a fertile breeding ground for
the new religion of Protestantism.The Catholic pope in Rome branded
the ’new-believers’ as heretics. Many people from Heuvelland fled the
country to escape persecution and some eventually found their way to
Sandwich and Norwich in England.
Did you also know that one of the first-ever scouts was killed near
Kemmel during the First World War and now lies buried in the village churchyard? His name? Second Lieutenant Musgrave Cazenove
Wroughton. Wroughton was one of the 20 young boys who BadenPowell took on the first-ever scouts camp to Bronwsea Island in
1907. But Heuvelland (land of hills), as the name in Dutch suggests, is most well-known for its green and hilly landscape. These
hills are known locally as ’mountains’, even though the highest of
them - the Kemmelberg or Mount Kemmel - is just 156 metres
above sea level. Some traditions claim that this is the hill where
the ’Grand Old Duke of York’ marched his 10,000 men up and
down, as immortalised in a well-known British nursery rhyme.
➜ Heuvelland Tourist Office
Offers all tourist information and gives the opportunity to view for
free the documentary ’Zero Hour’ - the story of the mine battle
of 1917. This documentary is a combination of aerial photography,
live recordings, archive material and re-enacting.
For more information about the mine battle, please consult the
website www.zerohour.be
Open on workdays from 9.00 to 12.00 and from 13.15 to 17.00. On
Saturday from 9.30 to 17.00 and on Sunday from 10.00 to 12.00.
Closed on holidays. From 1 April to 14 November also open on
Sunday from 14.00 to 17.00 and on holdiays from 10.00 to 12.00
and from 14.00 to 17.00.
Sint-Laurentiusplein 1 - 8950 Kemmel (Heuvelland)
➜ Folk Experience in Dranouter
An interactive museum about folk music.
www.folkdranouter.be - [email protected]
T. 0032(0)-57 44 69 33
Dikkebusstraat 234 in Dranouter
Folk Festival Dranouter
12
15
Merkem Castle
Ypres: Menin Gate
➜ Aerial Cable-car ’Cordoba’ in Westouter
Every day during the summer holidays and during weekend afternoons from April until the end of September (weather permitting).
[email protected] - T. 0032(0)-57 44 60 35
Rodebergstraat 75 in Westouter
➜ Command Bunker Kemmelberg
A silent witness from the Cold War era.
Information: Heuvelland Tourist Office in Kemmel
[email protected] - T. 0032(0)-57 45 04 55
➜ ’Bayernwald’ in Wijtschate
German trenches, see WWI on page 94
HoOGLEDE
Hooglede and Gits did not emerge unscathed from the First World
War. For both villages, the German occupation was a period of relative calm. Even so, they were still in the ’Etappengebiet’ (Reserve Zone) and therefore close to the front. Many wounded soldiers
were brought here for medical care. Some of them never recovered
and are now buried in the Soldatenfriedhof (military cemetery).
During the Liberation Offensive in September 1918, both villages
were badly damaged.
Houthulst
Houthulst once had a large forest of more than 4,000 hectares. Today, just 70 hectares remain. During the First World War, the Germans
transformed the forest into an impregnable fortress. During the final
offensive in September 1918, this bastion was stormed by the Belgian
Army. By then, all that was left of the once-proud forest was a few
shattered tree trunks.The Belgian military cemetery at Houthulst contains the graves of almost 2,000 soldiers who died in the liberation of
the Vrijbos (as the wood is known locally). Amongst other reminders
of the war years are the Drie Grachten (Three Canals) Post in Merkem
and the Peace Windmill in Klerken (currently undergoing restoration).
This mill served as a German look-out post between 1914 and 1918.
On the canal at the Drie Grachten, there is an ecological visitors’ centre
on board the longboat ’Isara’.
Ieper (Ypres)
Ypres is a city which needs no introduction in the English-speaking
world. Its name will forever be associated with the sacrifice of Great
Britain and her Empire during the First World War. The In Flanders
Fields Museum, the Menin Gate, the Last Post, St. George’s Memorial Church: the average Englishman still knows more about Ieper
than the average Belgian. Ieper is the Flemish name for the city. The
more widely-known name of Ypres is the French spelling - and this
is the spelling which was generally used on the military maps of the
region at the beginning of the 20th century.
But did you know… that during the Middle Ages Ypres was also a
famous centre of the international cloth trade? It was the third most
important city in Flanders (after Ghent and Bruges) and during the
14th century had a population larger than London! Its wealth was
reflected in the construction of the magnificent Gothic Cloth Hall,
with its sturdy belfry. The people of Ypres were on good terms with
the English crown, since England was the main source of the wool
which was so vital to the city’s cloth trade. This sometimes led to
political problems, because Ypres was nominally under the control
of the Count of Flanders, and the count was a vassal of the French
king - who was the sworn enemy of the English!
Ypres still possesses large parts of its original ramparts, built in the
17th century by Sébastien Vauban, master-fortress builder to King
Louis XIV of France - the Sun King.
Nowadays, Ypres is a fun city - as testified, for example, by its colourful Cats Festival (next scheduled for 13 May 2012). Absolutely
not to be missed!
➜ Vrijbos
(forest open to the public) For a healthy, invigorating walk.
Open from sunrise to sunset. E. De Grootelaan in Houthulst
➜ Belgian Military Cemetery
Ypres: Menin Gate
Houthulst: ”Driegrachten”
14
17
Ypres: Cloth Hall
➜ Belle Almshouse Museum
A fine collection of paintings and furniture, dating from the 14th16th centuries. Open from 10.00 to 12.30 and from 14.00 to 18.00
Closed on Mondays and from 1 November until 31 March.
➜ Education Museum
An overview of educational history in Ieper and Flanders.
Open daily from 10.00 to 12.30 and from 14.00 to 17.00 (18.00
from 1 April to 31 October). Closed on Mondays.
➜ Municipal Museum
The history of Ypres as told through paintings, prints and engravings.
Also with an overview of the city’s military fortifications.
Same hours of opening as the Education Museum.
➜ Tour of the Ramparts on foot
A 2.6 km long cultural and historic circuit, complete with information panels.
➜ Merghelynck Museum
Marvel at the lifestyle of the aristocracy at the end of the 18th
century. Group visits only, with compulsory city guide, arranged
through the Tourist Office. Advance booking is essential.
T. 0032(0)-57 23 92 20
➜ Palingbeek Provincial Domain
With its visitors’ centre and the Astro-lab Iris.
T. 0032(0)-57 23 08 40
➜ Golf & Country Club De Palingbeek
18 hole course
www.golfpalingbeek.com - [email protected]
T. 0032(0)57 20 04 36
Eekhofstraat 14 in Hollebeke
➜ Bellewaerde Park
A theme park for children (and adults!)
www.bellewaerdepark.be - [email protected]
T. 0032(0)-57 46 86 86
➜ In Flanders Fields Museum
See WWI on page 87
➜ St. George’s Memorial Church
See WWI on page 90
➜ Menin Gate
See WWI on page 89
➜ Last Post
See WWI on page 92
Koekelare: Oosthof Park
Koekelare
Koekelare is a forward-thinking village, but with a strong sense of
tradition. The ’Fransmans’ (Frenchies) Museum recalls the seasonal
labour of yesteryear, when many local people ’migrated’ annually to
Northern France to do temporary work in the agricultural industry:
harvesting beets, cutting hops, working in the oast-mills, etc. Next
to the museum stands the Käthe Kollwitz Tower. This tower contains
etchings and drawings by the well-known German artist. She was
also responsible for the creation of the famous ’Grieving Parents’
sculpture in the German military cemetery at Vladslo. Many of her
later works testified to her deep social commitment, which made her
despised in the eyes of the Nazis.
➜ The ’Old Brewery’ site with
• the Brewery, now a tourist and cultural centre;
• the ’Frenchies’ Museum, which tells the story of the seasonal
labourers who trekked each year to France to work on the land;
• the Käthe Kollwitz Tower, see WWI on page 110
The ’Old Brewery’ is open Monday to Friday from 9.30 to 12.00
and from 14.00 to 17.30. Closed on Mondays.
During summertime, the site is also open in the afternoon during
the weekends.
T. 0032(0)-51 58 92 01
➜ The ’Long Max’ site
See WWI on page 110
Koekelare ’Old Brewery’ site
16
19
Langemark
Kortemark
Langemark-Poelkapelle
Kortemark is the village of windmills. Four splendid mills dominate
the landscape, serving as beacons for miles around. It is also a very
old village. The archaeological museum in the neighbouring hamlet
of Werken details the history of the district from the Bronze Age to
the Middle Ages.
This twin village is inextricably linked with the events of the First
World War. In particular, the name of Langemark recalls a dark
page in the annals of German history. It was here that the so-called
’Massacre of the Innocents’ (the decimation of the student battalions
of 1914) took place and it is here that the sombre but imposing German military cemetery, with its 44,000 burials, now stands. On the
other side of the village, near Cement House Cemetery, a memorial
was unveiled on 27 September 2007 by the late Harry Patch, the
last surviving veteran of the Great War. The memorial marks the
spot where he crossed the Steenbeek stream during the Battle of
Passendale in 1917.
A further monument in the centre of Poelkapelle commemorates the
French air-ace Georges Guynemer (53 victories), who disappeared
in the skies above the village on 11 September 1917. His body was
never found.
➜ Archeological site and museum in Werken
Gives an overview of all archaeological finds in the area.
Open from Wednesday to Sunday between 1 April and 30 November, from 14.00 to 17.00.
T. 0032(0)-51 56 61 08
Vladslostraat 9 in Werken
➜ The Kruisstraat Mill in Werken
Open every second Sunday of the month from April until September, from 14.00 to 18.00.
Steenstraat in Werken
➜ The Kouter Mill in Kortemark
Via reservation only - T. 0032(0)-51 56 64 52
Koutermolenstraat in Kortemark
➜ The Couchez Mill and Mill Museum in Zarren
Open every Sunday from April until September,
from 14.00 to 18.00.
Zarrenlindestraat in Zarren
➜ The Wullepit Mill
Open every first Sunday of the month from
April until September, from 14.00 to 18.00.
Molenstraat in Zarren
➜ Beeuwsaertmolen
Served as an ideal observation post during the Frist World War.
It was completely destroyed by the first gas attack in 1915, but
rebuilt with parts of two other mills.
Open every first Sunday of the month, from 13.00 to 17.00.
Pilkemstraat in Bikschote
➜ German Military Cemetery
See WWI on page 123
➜ Guynemer Monument in Poelkapelle
See WWI on page 81
Lo-Reninge
Lo is a small town dating from the Middle Ages, which still boasts
one of its original city gates. Next to this gate stands an ancient
yew tree, where - according to tradition - the Roman general Julius
Caesar once tied his horse!
Did you know that… the church in Lo contains the
lead coffin and mortal remains of William of Lo?
William is better known in history - at
least, in British history - as
William of Ypres, the
The Couchez Mill in Zarren
Lo-canal
18
21
Messines: Crypt
Poperinge: Hop Museum
self-styled count of Flanders. William tried to seize power in Flanders
during a failed coup in 1127. As a result, he was banished to England, where he took enthusiastic part in the civil wars of 1139-1154
between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda. William was one
of Stephen’s chief lieutenants and commanded a large contingent
of Flemish soldiers in his service. Finally elevated to the nobility by
the grateful king, in later life Count William was responsible for the
founding of the Cistercian abbey at Boxley.
➜ Lauka Visitors Centre and Tourist Office
Open Monday to Saturday from 10.00 to 12.00 and from 13.00 to
17.00. Also open the same hours on Sundays in July and August.
➜ ’Old-timer’ Car Museum in Reninge
A collection of more than 100 vintage ’old-timers’.
Open daily from 13.30 to 17.15.
Closed on Sundays and public holidays.
www.oldtimermuseum.be - T. 0032(0)-57 40 04 32
Tempelare 12 in Reninge
➜ Visitor centre Destrooper
See WWI on page 102
Mesen (MESSINES)
Mesen - better known in English as Messines - is the smallest town in
Belgium and stands on the language frontier between Dutch-speaking
Flanders and French-speaking Wallonia. Mesen has a special place in
the history of the Irish people. It was here on 7 June 1917 that two
Irish divisions - the 16th Division from Catholic Eire and the 36th
Division from Protestant Ulster - fought side by side during the famous
Battle of the Mines. The Peace Tower which now stands near this spot
is therefore a symbol of reconciliation for the past, the present and the
future. Mesen is also twinned with the New Zealand town of Featherstone. Troops of the New Zealand Division - men who had literally
come from the other side of the world - also fought here in 1917.
➜ St. Nicolas Church and Crypt
This church, rebuilt after the First World War, is all that
remains of the old abbey, founded by Adela of France (mother of Queen Mathilda of England, wife of William the
Conqueror) in 1057. It is believed that Adolf Hilter was
treated for wounds in the crypt (which is original) in 1914.
Open Monday to Friday from 9.00 to 17.00.
Saturday by reservation only - T. 0032(0)-57 44 50 41
➜ Ireland Peace Park
See WWI on page 96
Messines: Peace Park
Poperinge
Poperinge is the main centre of hop cultivation in Belgium. To
celebrate this fact, the town holds a colourful triennial Hop Parade
(next scheduled on the 21st of September 2014). During the First
World War the town was immediately behind the front lines: a place of camps and hospitals, where the soldiers came to rest or heal
their wounds. Talbot House - the famous wartime soldiers’ club
- can still be visited. More than 9,500 Commonwealth servicemen
found their last resting place in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, just
outside the town. An interpretation centre will certainly upgrade the
experience of your visit as of September 21st 2012.
But did you know that… Sir Thopas, mentioned in Geoffrey Chaucer’s famous ’Canterbury Tales’ (1388), was actually born in Poperinge. And did you know that… a Kentish farmer by the name of
Reynolde Scott once spied on the hops fields and oast-houses around
Poperinge, in order to improve techniques back in England. In 1574
he even published a manual called ’A Perfect Hoppe Garden’, based
on expertise he had acquired in Flanders.
You almost certainly didn’t know that… Lady Di’s great-grandmother was born in Reningelst, a village just outside Poperinge. The
Bulteels were a local family, who in the 16th century were forced to
flee to England as religious refugees. Louisa Emily Charlotte Bulteel
(1828-1897), daughter of John Crocker Bulteel of Flete and Lyneham, married Edward Baring, who was then Director of the Bank
of England. Her daughter, Margaret, married Charles Spencer, greatgrandfather of Lady Diana Spencer, the late Princess of Wales.
➜ Hop Museum
Everything you ever wanted to know about hops and their history.
Open from 1 March until 30 November.
Open daily (except on Mondays) from 10.00 until 18.00.
www.hopmuseum.be
T. 0032(0)-57 33 79 22
Gasthuisstraat 71 in Poperinge
➜ Talbot House
See WWI on page 104
➜ Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery
See WWI on page 119
Poperinge: Hop fields
20
23
Staden
The town centre of Veurne
Staden
Did you know that… the British pilot Peter James Nankivell is buried
in the civil cemetery in Staden?
Born in 1920, Flight-Lieutenant Nankivell was a fighter pilot in the
British Royal Air Force. On Sunday, 7 February 1943 he took off
from RAF Manston in a Hawker Typhoon of 609 Squadron for a mission over occupied Europe. At 1415 hours he was intercepted above
the Kortemark-Ypres railway by a German Fokker Wulf 190. After a
short dog-fight, Nankivell was shot down, his plane crashing into the
meadow of the Muyssen-Courtens farmstead.
Veurne
Veurne is an old and elegant town, with a unique market square. The
famous British war corrrespondent, Philip Gibbs, noted in his book
’The Soul of the War’ (1915):
’The town of Furnes, in Belgium, into which I came when dusk crept
into its streets and squares, was the headquarters of King Albert
and his staff and its people could hear all day long the roll of guns
a few kilometres away, where the remnant of their army held the
line of the Yser canal and the trenches which barred the roads to
Dixmude, Pervyse and other little towns and villages on the last free
patch of Belgian soil.
I drove into the Grande Place and saw the beauty of this old Flemish
square, typical of a hundred others no less quaint and with no less
dignity, which had been smashed to pieces by German guns. Three
great buildings dominated its architecture - the Town Hall, with a
fine stately façade and two ancient churches with massive brick
towers, over-shadowing the narrow old houses and timber-front
shops with stepped gables and wrought-iron signs...’.
In contrast to many other front towns, Veurne was little damaged
during the war and still possesses a magnificent architectural heritage. It is also well-known for its Penitents’ Procession, which takes
place on the last Sunday in July.
Veurne: town centre
➜ Town Hall and former Court of Justice
Built in Flemish Renaissance style.
Open from 1 April until 15 November, daily guided visits.
Closed: 21, 28 October and 1,4 & 12 November.
T. 0032(0)-58 33 55 31
Grote Markt in Veurne
➜ Bakery Museum
Open from Monday to Thursday, from 10.00 to 17.00; and on Saturday and Sunday and public holidays from 14.00 to 17.00.
Closed on Fridays and in December and January
Also open on Fridays in July and August.
www.bakkerijmuseum.be - T. 0032(0)-58 31 38 97
Albert I-laan 2 in Veurne
➜ Beauvoorde Castle
A castle dating from the 19th century, with a fine collection of neoGothic furniture.
Open from 1 April to 31 October, from Thursday to Sunday, between
14.00 and 17.30. From 1 July to 1 August, open daily from 10.00
to 17.30.
www.kasteelbeauvoorde.be - T. 0032(0)-58 29 92 29
Wulveringemstraat 10 in Beauvoorde.
Vleteren
Vleteren is a beer village par excellence. Westvleteren is home to
the famous Abbey of St. Sixtus, which brews a series of ’trappist’
ales (6°, 8° and 12°!) which in their time have been voted as the
best beer in the world. The ’Struise Brouwers’ in neighbouring Oostvleteren have also been honoured as being amongst the world’s best
brewers.Their real imperial stouts, such as ’Black Albert’, are highly
prized by beer aficionados.
22
25
Oostvleteren
But did you know… that during the retreat to Dunkirk in May 1940,
the British General (later Field Marshall) Sir Bernard Montgomery
entrusted his travelling trunk to the monks at the abbey of St. Sixtus. The monks even buried the trunk when a German officer later
became suspicious. After the liberation of Belgium in 1944, ’Monty’
had his trunk sent for.
➜ Claustrum & Abbey
The abbey of Sint-Sixtus does not allow visits. Across the road from
the abbey stands ’In de Vrede’, where you can taste (and, if you
are lucky, sometimes buy) the famous trappist beer. The adjoining
Claustrum is a small museum which tells something about the life
and work of the monks.
’In de Vrede’ and the ’Claustrum’ are open from 14.00 to 17.00.
Closed on Fridays, also the first half of January, 12-18 April, and the
second half of September (until 3 October). Also closed on Thursdays during the period 1 September to 30 June.
www.sintsixtus.be - T. 0032(0)-57 40 18 84
www.indevrede.be - T.0032(0)-57 40 03 77
Donkerstraat 13 in Westvleteren
➜ Brewery ’Deca’
See ’Beers & Breweries’ on page 33
➜ Brewery ’De Struise Brouwers’
See ’Beers & Breweries’ on page 35
Wervik: border with France, the river ’Lys’
WERVIK
Wervik is one of the oldest towns in Belgium and was known to the
Romans, who called it Viroviacum. It was a staging post on the great
Roman road from Bavay to Cassel. During the First World War, the
town was occupied by the German Army for four years. Wervik was
for the Germans what Poperinge was for the British: a place to rest,
close behind the lines. However, the town’s greatest claim to fame
lies in a very different direction: tobacco! Wervik tobacco was once
famed for its strength, although there are only a very few tobacco
fields now remaining. Happily, the story of the industry’s past has
been preserved in the Tobacco Museum, which also charts the history of smoking.
➜ National Tobacco Museum
An interesting museum about smoking and tobacco.
Open from February until November, from Tuesday to Friday, from
09.00 to 12.00 and from 14.00 to 18.00. Open on Saturday and
Sunday, from 14.00 to 17.00.
www.nationaaltabaksmuseum.be - T. 0032 (0)-56 95 24 25
[email protected] - Koestraat 63 in Wervik
The abbey of Sint-Sixtus
Wervik: Tobacco Museum
24
27
Zonnebeke: Tyne Cot Cemetery, Passendale
Zonnebeke
The name Zonnebeke probably rings very few bells in British ears,
but almost everyone has heard of its neighbouring village: Passendale or Passchendaele (old spelling). The chateau of Zonnebeke now
houses the impressive Passchendaele 1917 Memorial Museum. Not
far away, cresting the ridge which separates the two villages, stands
Tyne Cot Cemetery - the largest Commonwealth military cemetery
in the world. It was here in 1917 that the British army fought for 4
long months in a desperate bid to break the German line.
They advanced just 8 kilometres at a cost of almost 400,000 killed,
wounded and missing. Little wonder that the village was known to
the troops as ’Passion Dale’ - the Valley of Suffering.
Like most villages in the region, Passendale was rebuilt after the
armistice and is now well-known for its cheese. A Cheese Museum
highlights the development of this new industry. The neighbouring village of Beselare is more concerned with witchcraft than with cheese,
and every two years organises a ’spine-chilling’ Witches’ Pageant.
➜ The Old Cheese Factory
Everything you need to know about cheese and cheese making.
Cheese products are on sale in the adjoining cafeteria.
Open daily from 1 March to 11 November, from 10.00 to 17.00.
On Mondays open from 14.00 to 17.00. From May to September
open daily from 10.00 to 17.00. By reservation the museum is always open for groups (min 15 persons). www.deoudekaasmakerij.be
T. 0032(0)-51 77 70 05 - ’s Graventafelstraat 48a in Passendale
➜ Memorial Museum: Passchendaele 1917
See WWI on page 83
➜ Cryer Farm
See WWI on page 84
➜ Crest Farm Canadian Memorial
See WWI on page 84
➜ Polygon Wood
See WWI on page 85
➜ German command post bunker
See WWI on page 84
➜ Tyne Cot Cemetery
See WWI on page 118
Spending the night
in Flanders Fields
Country
Westhoek Bonus Pass
If you stay for a minimum of two nights in one of 100
selected accommodation options in the Westhoek,
you will be eligible for a free Westhoek Bonus Pass.
This Bonus Pass offers you personal discounts of
more than €60, mostly in the shape of reduced admission to many of the region’s top museums and
attractions. This free pass is valid from the date of
your arrival until the following January.
Westhoekvoordeelpas
2012
Carte avan
tage - Disco unt
For your choice of overnight accommodation:
please see
Pass - Gästekart
e
jouw voordeel
€ 60
26
29
The West Coast:
West Coast
West Coast
28
from De Panne
to Middelkerke
The Westhoek is within easy cycling distance of the North
Sea coast. The section of shoreline between De Panne in the
west and Middelkerke in the east is known as the (Belgian)
West Coast - a succession of pleasant seaside towns and
coastal villages. Each of these resorts has its own ’speciality’, but they all offer sand, sea and (with a bit of luck!) sun.
The West Coast is a perfect base from which to explore the
Westhoek - and the reverse is also true! Whether you prefer
De Panne, Koksijde, Oostduinkerke, Nieuwpoort, Westende
or Middelkerke... the North Sea coast is a great place to
stay at any time of year!
De Panne
De Panne boasts the widest beach on the Belgian coast - ideal for
sand-yachting and beach- surfing. The houses in the Dumont quarter
(many of which are listed buildings) were built in the cottage style
typical of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. De Panne also
has a large stretch of sand dunes, which includes the Houtsaegher
dunes, the Oosthoek domain and the Westhoek nature reserve. The
recently renovated Leopold I Esplanade commemorates the arrival
of Belgium’s first king on Belgian soil in 1830.
Koksijde-Oostduinkerke
Koksijde not only possesses a fine beach, but is also home to an
interesting museum devoted to the life and works of the artist Paul
Delvaux. The Ten Duinen abbey museum on the outskirts of the town
charts the rise and fall of this once famous abbey, which was taken
into the Order of Citaux in 1138. The more energetic visitors may
wish to climb the Hoge Blekker - the highest sand dune on the Belgian coast (located in the nature reserve of the same name).
Nieuwpoort: Promenade
30
31
West Coast
DE PANNE, KOKSIJDEOOSTDUINKERKE, NIEUWPOORT,
MIDDELKERKE-WESTENDE
april
Nieuwpoort: King Albert Monument
Oostduinkerke has been a fishing village for centuries, and you can
still watch (and admire) the shrimp fishermen as they wade out into
the shallows with their nets, mounted on powerful shire horses. The
National Fisheries Museum charts the local history of this hard and
dangerous profession.
Nieuwpoort
Nieuwpoort is the Monte Carlo of the Belgian coast. Its yachting
marina is the largest in Europe, with more than 2,000 berths. The
port also has its own small fishing fleet and fish market. The River
IJzer reaches the sea at Nieuwpoort, via a complex of locks known
as the ’Ganzenpoot’ (The Goose’s Foot). In 1914 these locks were
opened to flood the IJzer plain, thereby preventing any further German advance. Nearby stands a monument to King Albert I, who
commanded the Belgian Army during the First World War.
Middelkerke-Westende
This twin coastal resort offers a good mix of everything that families need for a really great seaside holiday. The casino in Middelkerke, built in the Normandy style, is one of the top nightspots
on the Belgian North Sea shoreline. At Villa ’Les Zephyrs’
you can discover how families spent their holidays back in
the 1930s. The ’Dronkenput’ (literally, the Drunkard’s Pit)
was a cistern constructed at the end of the 19th century
to collect drinking water. The 213 ton tank was pushed
upwards by rising ground water.
13-15/4 Convivial Weekend
Middelkerke
14-15/04 Koksijde for Kids
(free street attractions for children)
Koksijde
may
26-28/05 Fishery Festival
Nieuwpoort
juNE
08-10/06 Fish Weekend - Middelkerke
23-24/06 Shrimp Festival and shrimp
parade - Oostduinkerke (Koksijde)
julY
06-08/07 The witch Jeanne Panne,
a historical evocation with historical
banquet on 06 -07/07 - Nieuwpoort
18-20/07 Leopold Festival
(theme evening, fireworks,
concert...) - De Panne
august
06/08 Animal happening - De Panne
september
15-06/09 Agricultural Weekend Middelkerke
october
19-21/10 Oyster fair & international
boat show Cap Okaz - Nieuwpoort
november
9-11/11 Champagne Weekend
Middelkerke
rimps
Fishing for sh
k
on horsebac
west coast
TOURIST
INFORMATION
West Coast
Events 2012
WEST COAST
•De Panne
Zeelaan 21,
8660 De Panne
T. 0032(0)58/42 18 18
[email protected]
www.depanne.be
•Koksijde
OOSTDUINKERKE
Zeelaan 303
8670 Koksijde
T. 0032(0)58/51 29 10
[email protected]
www.koksijde.be
Season offices
Oostduinkerke Bad
Albert I-laan 78
8670 Koksijde
T. 0032(0)58/51 13 89
Sint-Idesbald
Zeedijk 26a
T. 0032(0)58/51 39 39
•middelkerkewestende
J. Casselaan 4
8430 Middelkerke
T. 0032(0)59/30 03 68
[email protected]
www.middelkerke.be
Season office Westende
H. Jasparlaan 173
8434 Westende
T. 0032(0)59/31 91 28
[email protected]
www.middelkerke.be
•Nieuwpoort
Marktplein 7
8620 Nieuwpoort
T. 0032(0)58/22 44 44
Hendrikaplein 11
8620 Nieuwpoort
T. 0032(0)58/23 39 23
[email protected]
www.nieuwpoort.be
For more information:
please contact the
local tourist office
33
Beers
& Breweries
Beers & Breweries
Beers & Breweries
32
The Westhoek is a veritable paradise for beer-lovers, offering
a wide variety of different local ales, many brewed in the
traditional manner. The delicious ’trappist’ beers from Westvleteren are perhaps the best-known, but there are plenty of
others to choose from - and all of them are worth a try!
Traditionally-brewed beers
in the Westhoek
Trappist from Westvleteren
The abbey at Westvleteren has been brewing its famous ales for as
long as anyone can remember. In 2005 the abbey’s ’trappist’ beer
was chosen as ’the best beer in the world’ (a claim that those who
have tasted it would not dispute!).
The sale of the abbey’s beer is big business, but the available supply
is quickly exhausted. Why? Because the monks brew to live: they do
not live to brew! Production is deliberately limited to around 5,000
hectolitres each year, and there are no plans to increase this figure.
This means that the beer is always in short supply.
If you want to try it, you can only order it by telephone via the abbey’s
’beer-line’. Demand is so great that it can often take half an hour
or more before you finally get through. But keep on trying: it’s well
worth the wait in the end! Usually, you have to accept whatever type
of beer is available at the time, and you collect it by appointment at
the abbey gates.
If this is all too much trouble, you can always try a ’trappist’ at the
’In de Vrede’ meeting centre, which stands just across the road from
the main abbey buildings. This meeting centre - which in reality is
little more than a large café - also houses the Claustrum, a small but
modern museum about the abbey’s history and the life of the monks.
The real abbey beer from Westvleteren has no label on the bottle.
The different types are distinguished by the different colours of the
bottle tops - and by the taste! Cheers!
www.indevrede.be - www.sintsixtus.be
Beer-line T. 0032(0)-70 21 00 45
35
Beers & Breweries
Beers & Breweries
34
Hop Field
In days gone by, the Sint-Bernardus Brewery in Watou brewed beer
for the monks in Westvleteren under license, but this arrangement
has long since ceased. Nowadays, they brew their own selection of
fine ales: Sint-Bernardus Triple, Sint-Bernardus Abt, Sint-Bernardus
Prior, Nunnebier, etc. The brewery is located at Trappistenweg 23 in
8978 Watou (near Poperinge) - T. 0032(0)-57 38 80 21
www.sintbernardus.be
The ’Dolle Brouwers’ Brewery (the name literally means ’Barmy
Brewers’) is located in the village of Esen (Roeselarestraat 12b),
near Diksmuide. Master-brewer Chris Herteleer has created some
excellent beers, including Oerbier, Arabier, Stille Nacht (a Christmas
ale), Boskeun, etc. There is a guided tour of the brewery in English
and French every Sunday afternoon at 14.00 (not on public holidays). T. 0032(0)-51 50 27 81 - www.dedollebrouwers.be
Nevejan Brewery, situated at Graaf van Hoornweg 16 in 8972
Krombeke (also near Poperinge), is a supplier of several local beers,
including Kerelsbier.
The brewery of ’De Struise Brouwers’ is in Woesten (Vleteren).
These amateur experts - this time the name means the ’Beefy Brewers’
- were recently voted as ’the best brewers in the world’ by an American internet poll in which no fewer than 6,000 other brewers
took part.Their most well-known brews are the
legendary Black Albert (a dark stout), Pannepot and Kloeke Blonde. ’De Struise Brouwers’ is
a relatively small-scale operation (in 2009 they
made just 270 hectolitres of beer) and 90% of
their production is exported, mainly to America
and Scandinavia. Happily, the remaining 10% is
available for domestic consumption and the brewery (with shop) is open on Wednesday,Thursday,
Friday and Saturday, from 14.00 to 18.00. The
address is Kasteelstraat 50 in Oostvleteren.
Guided tours, beer tastings and beer seminars can
all be arranged by appointment.
Reservations can be made by phone on
T. 0032(0)-0495 28 86 23 or by mail on
[email protected] - www.struisebrouwers.be
The Van Eecke-Leroy Brewery brews the famous Poperinge
Hommelbier (hop beer), Watou white beer and Kapittel.
The brewery is located at Douvieweg 2 in 8978 Watou
(near Poperinge) T. 0032(0)-57 38 80 30
www.brouwerijvaneecke.tk
Hops
The Vanuxeem Brewery is just over the language border, in the French-speaking village of
Ploegsteert. Even so, they make some very
fine beers, including the well-known Queue
de Charrue (blond, amber and brown).
The brewery is located at Armentièresestraat
150 in 7782 Ploegsteert
T. 0032(0)-56 58 89 23
www.vanuxeem.com
st.-bernardus prior,
brown8°
high fermentation, ferments in the bottle,
full flavour
WATOU TRIPEL,
amber7°
high fermentation, soft flavour, with a
fresh finish
watou’s wit,
blond9°
sharp flavour
HOMMELBIER,
amber8°
full flavour
37
Beers & Breweries
Beers & Breweries
36
➜ Beers of character
The Poperinge Beer Festival, 27-28 October 2012
A chance to sample the wares of 15 of the region’s smaller breweries. Beers of character, brewed with skill and passion.
T. 0032(0) 57 36 08 93
Many towns and villages in the Westhoek have their own local beers: Alveringem has Snoekbier, Ypres has Ypra and Yperman,
Koekelare has Couckelaerschen Doedel, Poperinge has Hommelbier
and Nunnebier, Veurne has Sporkinbier, Boeteling and Slapersbier,
Wervik has Moriaenbier, Mesen has Mesenaere, Beselare (Zonnebeke) has Heksenbier and (last, but not least) Diksmuide has Papegaei. Why not give them a try?
Every cafe in the Westhoek - big or small, with sun terrace or without - serves a good range of Belgian beers. Ordinary ’pils’ (a light,
lager-like beer of low fermentation) can be found just about everywhere, but the beer card is usually supplemented with a selection
of traditional ales (usually of much higher fermentation). Many of
these traditional beers are also local beers, brewed in the region. But
be warned: they are probably stronger than what you are used to!
Most British visitors stick to ordinary ’pils’, which they like to drink
in large, half-litre glasses. Local beer drinkers prefer the smaller
25 cl. glass. This has the advantage of keeping the beer cooler and
the taste fresher. During the warm summer months, beer in a larger
glass has more time to become warm, weak and wishy-washy. And
who wants to drink wishy-washy beer?
KAPITTEL,
brown5.6°
ferments in the bottle, soft flavour
queue de charrue,
blond9°
sharp flavour
And just so our oenophile friends do not feel left
out, it is also worth mentioning that the Westhoek
produces some very fine wines. In particular, the
produce of the Monteberg Vineyard in Dranouter
(Heuvelland) is highly regarded by connoisseurs.
Something tasty
No matter where you go in the Westhoek, you will always be able to eat
and drink in style. Gastronomic cooking in Flanders is largely based on
French cuisine, yet always with a unique Flemish twist. Flanders can
boast a number of Michelin-star restaurants, but there are literally
hundreds of other places to eat - bistros, taverns, pizzerias - and all
of excellent quality. Of course, there are also plenty of delicious regional and seasonal specialities to try, such as potjesvlees (jellied veal,
chicken and rabbit) in Veurne, hop shoots in Poperinge (March-April)
or mussels and chips in any month with an ’r’ in it. Chips are also a
great Belgian speciality - something which our British visitors should
appreciate - but we eat them with mayonnaise or pickles, and NOT
with vinegar!
Visitors with a sweet-tooth should already start planning their next
diet now. Flanders is renowned for its confectionary: pancakes, waffles
(with or without cream and chocolate), Mazarin tart, almond cakes,
gingerbread, farmyard ice-cream, babalutten (a kind of butterscotch
sweet, guaranteed to rip out all your fillings)... and this is before we
even mention the world-famous Belgian chocolates! In most villages,
the local baker will make chocolates of his own, but there are also larger specialist shops in the bigger towns.The market square in Ieper, for
example, is full of them: talk about being spoilt for choice!
queue de charrue,
brown5.4°
low fermentation, sweet flavour
queue de charrue,
amber7°
high fermentation, soft flavour with a
fresh finish
39
Tourist
Tourist routes
Tourist routes
38
routes
Poperinge
Walking networks
Heuvelland and Ypres Salient
The Heuvelland walking network is a fresh concept which
guarantees about 270 kilometres of walking pleasure. The
network covers the entire Heuvelland district, but also takes
in a small part of French Flanders (just over the FrancoBelgian border or the ’Schreve’, as it is popularly known in
these parts). The charm and beauty of the West Flanders hill
country provide the backdrop to this tourist-friendly initiative.
A second walking network has also been created in the area around
Ypres. Perhaps not surprisingly, the theme is the First World War and
the Ypres Salient. The route is undulating and varied, with a surprise
around almost every corner. Walkers can devise their own day or
week itineraries and can decide for themselves just how many kilometres they want to do.
The signposting and routing of the networks is based on a series of
numbered junction points. You simply walk from junction to junction
or from number to number. At each junction two or more sections
of the network cross each other. All you need to do is keep an eye on
the junction numbers. The walking networks are signposted in both
directions, so that the different sections/junctions can be easily combined to make hundreds of different walks. The junction numbers are
shown on rectangular boards, fixed to four-sided posts. Additional
signboards have also been placed between the junctions, so that you
can check that you are still going the right way! Almost 50 % of the
network is on unpaved roads/tracks and a number of new connecting
pathways have been specially constructed.
A map of the walking network costs €6, and can be purchased at the
VVV Heuvelland in Kemmel
(T. 0032(0) 57 45 04 55 - www.heuvelland.be) or at the Tourist
Office in Ypres (T. 0032(0) 57 23 92 20 - www.visitypres.be).
41
Tourist routes
Westhoek
Tourist routes
2010
40
Cycling network
Westhoek
More than 1,000 kilometres of biking pleasure is within easy reach
of cycling fans. This network can be ridden in both directions and
the signposting is based on the junction system, which has already
been such a success in other parts of Flanders. Cyclists can plan
their preferred route in advance, using the two available network
maps (one for the north of the Westhoek and another for the
south). All you need to do is note the numbers of the junctions
you wish to pass. The map also shows the distance in kilometres
between junctions. The junction numbers are indicated on rectangular green boards and are supplemented at major crossroads, etc. by a series of ’destination’ signposts.
In this way you are guaranteed not to miss
any of the sights! Equally
important, there will be no
shortage of cafes and pubs on your chosen route! Or perhaps you
prefer to stop for a deliciously refreshing ice-cream down on the
farm...?
The existing cycle circuits, with their familiar hexagonal (six-sided) signboards, will continue to operate. You can find a summary
of these circuits elsewhere in this booklet. The new network also
uses some limited sections of these older circuits. When this happens, you will find rectangular junction boards and hexagonal
signboards along the same route.
The Westhoek cycling network offers good connections with the West Coast cycle route
and the Brugse Ommeland network.
Two detailed maps of the Westhoek
route (North and South) are available
at a price of € 6 each.
The maps can be purchased from all local tourist offices in the Westhoek.
Alternatively, they can be ordered via
the website www.toerismewesthoek.be
(section ’routes’). This also applies for
maps of the older cycling circuits.
43
Tourist routes
Westhoek
Tourist routes
2010
42
Tourist routes
Ypres
See WW1 on page 127
The Peace route
CAR
(45 km)
Signposted cycling routes
All the cycle routes mentioned form a complete circuit (i.e.,
they begin and end at the same point). The signposts marking
the routes are hexagonal (six-sided) in shape. Info-folders
with maps are available for every route. The local tourist offices have information/folders about the routes in their area.
Diksmuide
The Butter-land route
(44 km)
This route explores the polders around Diksmuide, the heart of the
so-called ’Butter-land’. On the way, you will pass through engaging
villages such as Sint-Jacobskapelle, Nieuwkapelle, Oudekapelle,
Lampernisse, Zoutenaaie and Pervijze.
The Krekeldal (Cricket Valley) route
(47 km)
As the name suggests, this route follows the valley of the Krekel
stream, which - together with Handzame valley - forms the most
easterly inland extension of the basin of the River IJzer. The route
gets underway in Diksmuide and first explores a tract of marshland,
before moving off towards Koekelare.
Heuvelland
The West Flanders ’Mountain’ route
(45 km)
Cyclists will puff and pant their way up Heuvelland’s ancient chain of
hills, which have played such a prominent role in the region’s history
and still dominate its landscape. In addition to the famous Kemmelberg (Kemmel Hill) and Rodeberg (Red Hill), the route also takes in
Mesen (Messines), a small town situated right on the Belgian language frontier (with French-speaking Wallonia), as well as the Palingbeek provincial domain.
See WW1 on page 128
Lo-Reninge
The Ijzerbroeken route
(41 km)
The IJzerbroeken are a series of marshy water-meadows which line
the banks of the River IJzer. The route starts in Lo, and leads along
the Oude Zeedijk (Old Sea Dyke) in the direction of the Ieperlee
canal. The covered banks of this waterway lead in turn to Steenstraete. By way of Reninge, you finally reach the IJzer and the lock
gates at Fintele, where the Lo Canal joins the larger river.
The Bakelandt route
(46 km)
This route - named after a famous local bandit of the Robin Hood
variety - focuses on the villages of Langemark, Poelkapelle and
Houthulst. On their journey cyclists will be able to enjoy a variety of
different landscapes: the hills of Klerken, the sand-loam spurs of the
IJzer polders, the low-lying valley of the Ieperlee.
Middelkerke
The Schoorbakke route
(48 km)
The rural route leads through the pleasant coastal polders between
Middelkerke and Diksmuide. Setting out from Middelkerke, cyclists will
pass through the polder villages of Leffinge, Slijpe and Schore - the last
of which gives its name to the route (a ’bak’ was a medieval type of ferry which crossed the River IJzer at Schore - hence the ’Schore-bak’).
From Diksmuide, the Vladslo Canal leads back towards the coast.
45
Tourist routes
Tourist routes
44
Poperinge
The Hop Land route
(43 km)
This charming rural route is characterized by fields and meadows,
woods and parklands, but above all by hop fields, with their distinctive network of poles and wire. The journey starts and finishes in
Poperinge, by way of the Lovie estate, Couthof Castle, Sint-Jan-terBiezen village and the Helleketelbos (Witch’s Cauldron Woods).
The Frontier route
(41 km)
This route criss-crosses the ’Schreve’: the Franco-Belgian border
region to the north-west of Poperinge, between Watou (the starting
point) and Beveren. Along the way it passes through the delightful
French village of Houtkerke.
The Schreve route
(46 km)
’Schreve’ is a dialect word meaning ’border’ and this undulating route - which picks it way through the rolling landscape between
Poperinge and Bailleul (Belle in Flemish) - crosses the Franco-Belgian
border more than once! Reningelst is the starting point for a journey
which calls at Westouter, Berthen (F), Boeschepe (F) and Watou.
Veurne
The Veurne-Ambacht route
(48 km)
Cyclists explore the characteristic scenery of the region known as the
’Blote’ (an area of flat and low-lying polders along the River IJzer),
as well as the age-old Viscountcy of Veurne-Ambacht (’ambacht’ is a
legal term denoting the level of a region’s judicial powers). Starting
from Koksijde, the route also takes in Veurne, Steenkerke and the
’Broeken’ (water meadows) of Oeren, Alveringem and Zoutenaaie.
The Lange Lis route
(39 km)
The Lange Lis route takes bikers into the heart of vast expanse of
polders between Nieuwpoort and Veurne.The route leads along the River IJzer, the Hemmeleed, the Proost Dyke Canal and the Langgeleed
(known as the ’Lange Lis’ in popular parlance). Other ports-of-call
include the delightful polder villages of Ramskapelle and Booitshoeke.
The Moeren route
(44 km)
The Moeren (the name has the same etymological origins as the word
’morass’) are the lowest-lying tract of polders in all Flanders. The
route also crosses the Houtland (Woodland) district, on the more
elevated Izenberge Plateau.The return journey, by way of Leisele and
Houtem, passes through the Buitenmoeren (Outer Moeren), before
finally reaching the Moeren proper. The St. Karel and St. Gustaaf
mills are also on the itinerary.
The Cobergher route
(51 km)
This route - named after the court engineer who was responsible for
reclaiming much of this region from the sea - focuses on the coastal
polder landscape in the extreme north-west corner of the Westhoek.
Departing from Adinkerke, the route first leads across the French
border to Hondschoote. The final destination is the Moeren, with its
chequered network of flat, open fields.
Vleteren
The Fleterna route
(46 km)
This route allows cyclists to discover the varied countryside between
Poperinge and Vleteren (the route takes its name from the CelticGermanic toponym for the stream which runs through this latter
village). Sites of interest along the way include Poperinge town centre, Eversam farmstead, the St.Sixtus Abbey in Westvleteren and the
water meadows along the Puyde Brook.
Wervik
The Tobacco route
(45 km)
This route explores the old tobacco-growing region around Wervik and Zonnebeke. Tobacco fields still give colour to the region’s
agricultural landscape, but the route also takes in the Palingbeek
provincial domain, Den Doel forest and the so-called OCMW Woods
(owned by the Ypres Department of Social Services).
47
Tourist routes
Westhoek
Tourist routes
2010
46
Thematic cycling routes
Diksmuide
(34 km)
The Bethoosterse Broeken route
The Pop route
See WW1 on page 128
No More War
(37.5 km)
See WW1 on page 129
Mine Warfare: Messines Ridge 1917
(28.6 km)
(7 km)
This route is characterised by two contrasting landscapes. The
first section crosses the higher ground to the south of the village
of Esen (where the route starts). Later, the land falls away into
the Handzame valley, with its typical water meadows (’broeken’
in Flemish).
The Blankaart route
See WW1 on page 129
(9.6 km)
Setting out from the old Blankaart family mansion, the route first
meanders through the watery meadows and pools of the Blankaart
nature reserve, moving on through the flood plain of the River IJzer,
before finally reaching the Blankaart reservoir.
WALKING
The Zannekin route
See WW1 on page 129
The Ypres Salient
(35 km)
Signposted walks
All the walking routes mentioned form a complete circuit (i.e.,
they begin and end at the same point). The signposts marking
the routes are hexagonal (six-sided) in shape. Info-folders
with details of the various walking routes can be ordered via
www.tourismflandersfields.be.
The local tourist offices have information/folders about the
routes in their area.
Alveringem
The Tile Village route
(8.1 km)
The route starts at Brewery De Snoek in Fortem and meanders through
the countryside on both banks of the Lo Canal. In the past, a tile factory
played an important role in the local economy of this region.
(6.4 km)
This route - named after a 14th century Flemish freedom fighter
- cuts though the wetlands of Lampernisse, which are intersected
by Greater and Lesser IJzer streams. This is one of the widest stretches of continuous open space in Flanders. The walk takes ramblers across the rich meadows and a succession of natural pools,
creeks and ridges, before reaching the Lesser IJzer on the boundary
between the villages of Lampernisse and Alveringem.
49
Tourist routes
Tourist routes
48
Diksmuide: beguinage
Heuvelland
Houthulst
The Kemmelberg (Kemmel Hill) route
The Driegrachten route
(9.4 km)
This is an ’up hill and down dale’ route which explores the summit and
the flanks of Kemmel Hill (156 m).
Starting from the ’De Bergen’ Visitors Centre (VVV) in the centre
of Kemmel village, the quiet country roads and panoramic views will
enchant walkers of every type.
The Two Mountains route
(7.2 km)
The two ’mountains’ in question (which are really just hills) are the
Sulferberg (Sulphur Hill, with its adjoining nature reserve) and the
Rodeberg (Red Hill). This latter summit leads to an adventurous
descent along the ’Hellegat’ (Hell Hole), a large valley deeply
carved into the hillside.
The Geuzen route
(9.6 km)
This route starts from the market square in Nieuwkerke and follows
an undulating course through the surrounding fields and farmsteads.
The name of the route refers to the religious troubles of the 16th
century, when the so-called Geuzen broke sacred images because
they believed them to be idolatrous (iconoclasm).
Craters and Mines route
(7 or 9 km)
See WW1 on page 130
The Battle of Mount Kemmel 1918
(10 or 5 km)
See WW1 on page 130
From ’The Bluff to die grosse Bastion’
(10, 7,5 or 4,3 km)
See WW1 on page 131
Heuvelland
(6.5 km)
A walk which takes in the countryside around Merkem, south of
Diksmuide. During the First World War, Driegrachten was a frontline post near the confluence of three different waterways (which is
what the name means in Dutch). This area was hotly contested in a
series of gruelling battles along the line of the River IJzer.
ypres (Ieper)
The Hospice Woods route
(9.5 km)
The low ridges to the south of Ypres are dominated by a succession
of woods, some of which belong to the city’s social and welfare services - hence the name. This route leads walkers through more than
230 acres of woodland.
The Gallows Wood route
(4.5 km)
A walk wich explores the woodlands between Elverdinge,
Vlamertinge and Poperinge. The route’s name is self-explanatory!
Koekelare
The Koekelare Hill route
(6 km)
The village square, the Oosthof park, the Swal nature reserve and
the hill itself - a massive 45 metres above sea level! - are all included in the itinerary of this pleasing rural route.
51
Tourist routes
Tourist routes
50
Veurne
Lo-Reninge
Vleteren
The Beverdijk route
The St. Sixtus route
(8.2 km)
The Beverdijk route - literally meaning ’Beaver Dyke’, although the
beavers have long since disappeared! - allows walkers to explore
the watery landscapes of the IJzer wetlands, in the transitional zone
between the coastal polders and the sand-loam hinterland. Following the Lo Canal and passing the Fintele lock complex, you will
eventually arrive at the towpath of the River IJzer.
mesen (MESSINES)
Messines Ridge Peace Path
(3.5 km)
See page 130
Poperinge
The ’Dead’ Ijzer route
(6.8 km)
This walk unlocks the secrets of the border country to the northwest of Poperinge. A kaleidoscopic quilt of meadows and fields creates a delightful and variegated landscape, with wonderful panoramic
vistas across the valley of the IJzer. The name refers to a ’dead’
meander of the river which passes through the village of Roesbrugge
- the starting point of the route.
Albert Baert and Poperinge in WWI
(6.2 km)
See page 131
Veurne
The Ringslot route
(9 km)
This route criss-crosses the Moeren - the low-lying polders surrounding the village of Houtem, near Veurne. The name is derived from a
canal which runs through (and drains) the Moeren, which has the
appearance of a castle moat (’ringslot’ in Flemish).
(7.1 km)
This route wanders along the quiet byways around the sleepy village
of Westvleteren. The landscape is pleasantly undulating and the
route makes use of church roads, grass tracks and country lanes.
The itinerary leads walkers through a patchwork quilt of woods,
hop fields and grasslands. A British military cemetery recalls distant
echoes of the First World War, while the Abbey of Westvleteren - the
starting point of the route - is world-famous for its trappist beer.
The Brabanthoek route
(6.6 km)
A quiet walk along peaceful roads, passing the Boezinge Canal
nature reserve, Brabant Corner (the Brabanthoek - a reference to
ancient feudal obligations, which gives the route its name) and a
Belgian bunker dating from the First World War.
Wervik
The Kruiseke (Christ’s Oak) route
(6.5 km)
This route starts and finishes at the church in Kruiseke, a village
near Wervik. Following unmetalled roads through gently rolling
countryside, the walker will discover two magnificent but very
different panoramas: a view over the valley of the River Leie (Lys)
and a view towards the green fields around Kemmel Hill.
Zonnebeke
The Witches’ route
(8.2 km)
Amongst other highlights, this route takes in the witches’ village of
Beselare and the Den Doel forest, where Buttes New British Cemetery and Polygon Wood Cemetery - both dating from the First World
War - are located.
Poperinge
53
Events 2012
Events 2012
52
Events 2012
18 March:
Mardi Gras Parade - Poperinge
25 April:
ANZAC Day - Zonnebeke
9 May:
13 May:
25 - 27 May:
28 May:
28 May:
Annual Flower Market - Ypres
43rd Cats Parade - Ypres
Peace Festival - music - Diksmuide
Butter & Cheese Festival - Diksmuide
Annual Flower Market - Veurne
3 June:
3 June:
11 June:
21-23 June:
Holy Blood Procession - Voormezele (Ypres)
Windmillfest - Kortemark
In Flanders Fields Museum open again - Ypres
Geko Ypres Rally - Ypres
1 July:
22 July:
29 July:
Procession of the Blessed Virgin - Poperinge
Giant Flea Market - Veurne
Penitents’ Procession - Veurne
2-3-4-5 August:Dranouter Festival - Heuvelland
15 August:
Wine fair in the Warande Park - Kemmel
(Heuvelland)
15 August:
Remember Elvis in Wally’s Farm - Poperinge
18 August:
Town Music Festival - Ypres
22-25 August: Four Days of the IJser, organised walk (4 x 1 day)
25 August:
Musical Tattoo - Veurne
25 August:
Market Rock (rock concert) - Poperinge
2 September: The Westhoek’s largest flea market - Kemmel
(Heuvelland)
9 September: In Flanders Fields Marathon
Nieuwpoort - Diksmuide - Ypres
21 September: Opening Interpretation Centre Lijssenthoek
Cemetery - Poperinge
23 September: Ypres Memorial Tattoo - Ypres
27-28 October:Beers of Distinction Weekend - Poperinge
31 October:
Halloween - Diksmuide
10 November:
10 November:
11 November:
11 November:
4th stage of the Memorial Walk Albert - Ypres
Remembrance ceremony ’Battle of Passchendaele’
Passendale (Zonnebeke)
WW1 Book Fair - Zonnebeke
Concert ’The Great War Remembered’ - Ypres
Various remembrance ceremonies throughout the
Westhoek, particularly Ypres
(Poppy Parade and Last Post)
December:
Christmas Market and Ice Rink - Ypres
7-9 December: Christmas Market - Diksmuide
14 December - 13 January: Veurne on Ice: ice rink - Veurne
Weekly market days:
Flanders has a long tradition of public markets, stretching back to
the days of the Middle Ages. Many towns still hold this tradition
in honour. Almost everything is available at these weekly markets:
clothing, fish, meat, vegetables, cheese, cd’s, flower and plants, tools
and equipment, cakes and sweets… They are usually held all year
round between 08.00 and 13.00 on the Market Square (where
else?) or at some other suitable location near the town centre. Their
frequency may sometimes be reduced during the winter months.
Monday: Diksmuide
Tuesday: Koekelare
Wednesday: Langemark, Veurne
Thursday: Lo, Houthulst, Kortemark
Friday: Koksijde, Nieuwpoort, Poperinge, Wervik
Saturday: Ypres
55
War and Peace
War and Peace
War and Peace
54
in the Westhoek
The First World War transformed the Westhoek into the
most dramatic war landscape in Belgium. The region was
marked and marred by four years of bitter conflict. The inhabitants of 1914 saw how their homes and their fields were
turned into a battlefield on which European and wider international interests were fought out. Like so many millions
of others, they were forced to pay the price for the failure
of the princes and the politicians to settle their differences
peaceably. Ever since, successive generations of the local
population have developed their own attitude and approach
towards the war and its legacy.
The Westhoek now contains hundreds of monuments and cemeteries which have great historical significance for the people of many
nations. Hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world
travel to Flanders each year to search for these reminders of the war
years. In this sense, the story of the war in the Westhoek is both
local and universal. It belongs not only to the past, but also to the
present and the future.
We live in a world which more than ever needs a better understanding of the complex processes of war and peace. In this way, we
hope that our generation and future generations can profit from the
painful lessons of the past. The most lasting legacy of the war in the
Westhoek is a burning desire for peace - because greater insight
into the horrors of war can only lead to a greater determination to
make peace.
The provincial administration of West Flanders has always devoted
considerable attention to the First World War. In 2002 the province
decided that the many activities relating to the war should be gathered together within a single framework, which is known as ’War and
Peace in the Westhoek’. This initiative is supported and sustained by
various partners in the Westhoek itself (museums, societies, local
authorities, etc.). ’War and Peace in the Westhoek’ has five separate
component elements. There are activities relating to academic and
scientific research; the maintenance and accessibility of heritage
sites; cultural and tourist development; peace education; and the
wider publicising of the ’War and Peace in the Westhoek’ project.
Château Wood
Westtoer - the independent provincial organisation for tourism and
recreation in West Flanders - is also aware of the importance of this
historical heritage. It was this awareness which first inspired the
publication of this short guide, which is now in its fourth (revised)
edition. In this way, we hope not only to make our own small contribution to the historiography of the First World War, but also to
make the heritage sites in the Westhoek accessible to a wider public.
57
The Beginning
The Beginning
56
The Battle of Passendale. A British
cemetery destroyed by shellfire.
1914
The Beginning
Why war?
More than 90 years after the events, it is still difficult to give a clear
and definite answer to this question. Was it simply a terrible combination of circumstances? How significant was France’s desire for
revenge following her defeat and the loss of Alsace-Lorraine during
the Franco-Prussian War of 1870? To what extent was the expansion of the German fleet a real thorn in the side of the British? Did
the possibility of a British blockade of German ports play a crucial
role? Was the spiralling arms race a major factor? And what of the
complex arrangement of secret alliances and treaties? Or was the
all-consuming nationalist sentiment of the age the key influence?
Perhaps, in the final analysis, the people of all lands simply thought
that ‘it will all sort itself out in the end’…
Sarajevo
On 28 June 1914 the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, Archduke Franz-Ferdinand, visited the province of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
His arrival in Sarajevo was awaited by a young Bosnian student
named Princip - who, together with a number of nationalist friends,
was planning to kill him. A first attempt failed, but a strange twist
of fate gave Princip a second chance.
British soldiers in Flanders
This time the bullets from his Belgian FN pistol killed both the
archduke and his wife. This assassination lit a powder keg. AustriaHungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia, since this country was believed to have supported the Bosnian action. Serbia agreed to all
of Vienna’s demands but one. They refused to allow an Austrian
commission of enquiry on their territory.
Nevertheless, Austria-Hungary used this as a pretext to declare
war. This was quickly followed by other declarations, as the system of mutual alliances and counter-alliances was set in motion.
Nobody seemed willing or able to stop the inexorable slide into a
European War.
The so-called Central Powers were Germany, Austria-Hungary,
Turkey and Bulgaria. They were opposed by the Allies, which included the British Empire, France, Russia and Belgium, joined later
by Italy (1915) and the United States of America (1917).
By the end of 1918 thirty-three countries were formally at war
with each other, with a combined population of 1.5 billion people.
This represents 80% of the total world population at that time.
Just 12 countries remained neutral, including Holland.
The ’Schlieffen’ plan
On 4 August 1914, the German army invaded Belgium. They demanded that King Albert grant them free passage through the country,
so that they could attack the French from the rear and defeat them
first. Afterwards, they would turn their attention on Russia. The king
refused and the famous Schlieffen plan was launched to impose
Germany’s military will by force. It was a battle of David against
Goliath. Great Britain guaranteed the neutrality of Belgium and declared war on Germany.
The Battle of Halen
On 12 August 1914 at Halen (in the province of Limburg) Uhlans of
the German cavalry attempted to charge a strong Belgian position
with naked swords. They were stopped in their tracks by the heavy
fire of the defending Belgian infantry. The Germans repeated their
attack no fewer than eight times, but always with the same terrible
result. Afterwards, more than 400 dead horses were counted on the
battlefield. It was proof, if any were needed, that dragoons, hussars,
lancers, Uhlans and cuirassiers - with all their gaily coloured uniforms - now belonged to the past.
The forts of Liege
The city of Liege fell quickly into German hands. It was followed on
15 August by the surrender of the last of the 12 forts which guarded
the city’s perimeter. The heavy German howitzers (the ’Big Bertha’s)
had done their terrible destructive work. Even so, the Germans continued to advance rapidly.
ps
Colonial troo
59
The Beginning
The Beginning
58
A Belgian refugee camp in Bergen-op-Zoom (The Netherlands)
Louvain…
’die Zivilisten haben geschossen’
The German advance was now moving more slowly than they had
hoped. At several places, the Germans believed that they were shot
at by ’civilians’. In Belgium, the armed Civil Guard was an official
para-military organisation. It had a strength of some 45,000 men
and they had to provide their own uniforms. These often incomplete
uniforms sometimes made them hard to recognise as soldiers. Is this
why the Germans confused them with civilians? The Germans were
becoming increasingly nervous: they had not expected such strong
Belgian resistance. As a result, they sometimes shot at each other by
mistake - but put the blame on the local Belgian population.
In Dinant, Aarschot and Louvain large numbers of civilians were
executed in retaliation. In Louvain (Leuven) 2,000 houses were also
burnt to the ground, together with its fabulous university library.
Its unique collection of incunabula, manuscripts and ancient
books was lost for ever. The Germans were now portrayed by the
Allies as barbarians. Volunteers to fight against them enlisted in
their thousands, especially in Great Britain. In Belgium there were
18.000 such volunteers.
The fall of Antwerp
The fortress of Antwerp (Antwerpen) - which was believed to be impregnable - fell in October 1914. By now, an estimated 1.6 million
Belgians had fled their homes. Almost 1 million of these refugees
crossed the border into the Netherlands.They were joined by approximately 40,000 Belgian, 1,200 British and 170 German soldiers. In
accordance with international law, all these soldiers were disarmed
’for the duration of hostilities’ and were interned in special camps
(Zeist, Hardewijk, etc.).
Louvain
Neutral Holland
The Netherlands clung firmly to their neutrality - and with success.
This had strategic advantages for both the British and the Germans.
For the British, it was important that the Dutch harbours could not
be used by the German navy (and their u-boats!). For the Germans,
the same ports were an important source of materials and supplies
for their war economy. Food was also imported into Germany via
the Rhine, while Dutch neutrality also made an Allied ’attack from
behind’ impossible.
Belgian camps in the Netherlands
By the end of 1914, about 900,000 Belgian refugees had returned to
their homes. A further 100,000 remained in the Netherlands for the
rest of the war. Of these, about 20,000 were unable to support themselves and so they were cared for in special camps, set up throughout the country (Uden, Gouda, etc.). The Dutch government and the
Dutch people made great efforts to ensure that all the refugees were
treated as humanely as possible - although things did not always run
smoothly.
The Belgian Army
behind the River IJzer
After the fall of Antwerp, King Albert wished to seek peace terms.
Queen Elisabeth and his staff were able to persuade him to change
his mind. The badly weakened Belgian forces withdrew in haste to
the River IJzer. Here they took up positions on the west bank, the
last natural barrier in Belgium before the French border. King Albert asked his soldiers to make a
final stand, in a desperate effort
to keep this last small piece of
Belgian territory from falling into
German hands.
The retreat tow
ards the River
IJzer
61
The Beginning
The Beginning
60
Flooding the front
Diksmuide:Trench of Death
The Battle of the IJzer
and the Battle of Diksmuide
In the middle of October 1914 the River IJzer and the canal to Ieper
formed the last Belgian line of defence against the advancing invaders.
The Germans reached the Ijzer on 18 October and heavy fighting
immediately broke out.The villages of Keiem,Tervaete and Schoorbakke were at the centre of the storm. In a number of places, the Germans
even succeeded in reaching the far bank of the river. Meanwhile, Belgian and French troops defended Diksmuide with great determination.
Continuous bombardments quickly reduced the town to rubble. It was
finally captured by the Germans on 10 November 1914. But the Allies
had achieved their goal. The German advance had been halted and the
Schlieffen Plan had failed.
The power of water
In October 1914, the possible flooding of the IJzer plain was discussed in Veurne town hall with Karel Cogge. Cogge was the superintendent of the Northern Waterways and knew the workings of the
water system in this part of Belgium like the back of his hand. Even
so, the first effort at flooding was only partially successful. However,
when Hendrik Geeraert, a ship’s master from Nieuwpoort, succeeded
in opening the sea locks, a huge mass of water flowed inland toward
the low-lying plain. This old defensive tactic was highly effective and
paralysed any further German movement in the Belgian
sector of the front. On 30 October their attack
ground to a halt. The German High Command
had no idea what the Belgians were planning. Their army maps showed a German
’zero-metre waterline’ which was 2.40
metres higher than the actual waterline.
As a result of the flooding, this sector
remained relatively quiet throughout the war. However, the Germans
managed to hold on to a few isolated ’islands’ on the west bank of
the river until 1918. Here, in the open plain, the situation was always
dangerous.
Trench warfare
The front stabilised on the IJzer and later on the River Marne in
France. Both sides started to dig in - four years of terrible trench
warfare had begun. Barbed wire, artillery, machine guns, vermin,
disease, cold and wet - not to mention poison gas, aeroplanes, flamethrowers and tanks - all conspired to make the front a living hell.
By the end of 1914, the Western Front ran in an unbroken line of
trenches from the North Sea coast at Nieuwpoort to the FrancoSwiss frontier.
The Belgian-Dutch border
is electrified
During the summer of 1915, the Germans
built a high fence along the Belgian-Dutch
border. This fence was permanently electrified with a current of 2,000 volts. The Germans were particularly anxious to prevent
deserters from escaping and to keep out
refugees and spies.
The fence ran in a more or less straight
line from the North Sea to the River
Meuse - a distance of some 180 kilometres. There was a patrol path along the
wire, with look-out towers every 100
metres, complete with searchlights,
alarms, mines, etc. Cross-border traffic was restricted to the public roads.
Many smugglers fell victim to this ’wire
of death’.
63
Four years of war
Four years of war
62
Over the top!
In the trench
Four years of war
On the Western Front
But the Western Front is by no means the only front. There
is also fighting in the east, on the Russian front, as well as in
Turkey (Gallipoli and the Dardanelles) and in the Italian Dolomite mountains (near the border with Austria-Hungary).
There are even campaigns in a number of African countries
(Cameroon, Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania).
1914
The war is not over ’before the leaves have fallen’ or ’by Christmas’,
as many had hoped - and expected.
1915
The British and the French attempt to break through the German
line.The Germans use flame-throwers for the first time on the French
front. Near Ypres, asphyxiating gas is also used for the first time.
1916
The Germans try to ’bleed the French dry’ at Verdun. The battle lasts
for 10 months and brings France to the verge of collapse. Both sides
lose tens of thousands of soldiers.
To reduce the pressure on Verdun, a joint Anglo-French attack is launched on the Somme. Tanks are employed for the first time but the
offensive is a fiasco. On the first day of the battle alone, the British
lose 60,000 men killed, wounded or missing. By the end of 1916,
casualties on both sides are horrendous.
r
Prisoners of wa d soldier
de
carrying a woun
1917
To cut the Allied lines of supply, Germany declares unrestricted submarine warfare. Even neutral shipping is torpedoed without warning.This eventually leads to the United States of America declaring
war on Germany in April 1917. However, the first American troops
only come into action in 1918.
The French Army suffers cruel and pointless losses during an offensive
along the Chemin des Dames, also known as the Nivelle Offensive.
The French troops decide to mutiny - or, rather, to go on strike. They
are willing to defend their country, but not to take part in futile
attacks. In order to break the mutiny, the French High Command
sentences 554 soldiers to death. 49 are actually shot. However, a
number of the mutineers’ demands are granted, including better
food and leave.
At the beginning of June, the British force a breakthrough at Messines
(Mesen), following the explosion of 19 mines under the German
positions. The offensive is continued in August with the opening of
the Third Battle of Ypres and the capture of the village of Passchendaele (Passendale). Losses on both sides are enormous,
for a territorial gain of just 8 kilometres. At Cambrai in France, 475
tanks attack the Germans on a 10 kilometre front with great - albeit
temporary - success.
War weariness begins to affect both the soldiers and the civilian populations of the warring nations. There are shortages of raw materials,
fuel and food. Russia withdraws from the war after the October
Revolution. This allows Germany to transfer almost 1 million troops
from the Eastern to the Western Front.
1918
Germany starts a great Spring Offensive
in the hope of winning the war before the
Americans can arrive. Ypres is evacuated
by the British and the Germans capture
Mount Kemmel. In July the German advance is brought to a halt and the tide turns
against them. Various Allied attacks are
launched at Amiens, in the Argonne and
along the Meuse, with the support of the
Americans.
In September,the final Allied breakthrough
takes place in Flanders and on the French
front. In Germany riots break out as a result of food shortages.
65
Four years of war
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64
A Belgian soldier
The horror of war
The German people have had enough of the war. Mutinous sailors
take over the naval base at Kiel. Civil disturbance spreads throughout the country.
Emperor William II flees to the Netherlands and seeks asylum in
Amerongen. An armistice is agreed in a railway carriage near the
French town of Compiègne: the guns will finally cease at 11 o’clock
on 11 November.
1919
In 1919 the Treaty of Versailles is signed. The map of Europe is
redrawn: the balance of power is now very different than in 1914.
Germany is forced to give up territory and to pay massive amounts
of reparations to the Allies.
A certain A.H. will later conclude that Germany was never defeated
in the field and that Versailles is an injustice which must be avenged.
The seeds of the Second World War are already sown.
A total of more than 60 million soldiers are mobilised during the
war. In all, the conflict costs the lives of 10 million people, without
taking into account the many millions who are wounded
or mutilated.
In comparison with the Second World War, the civilian
population escapes relatively lightly. Civilian casualties amount to just 5% of the total, in comparison
with 48% in World War Two. The flower of European
youth is decimated. For example, of the 700,000
British casualties, more than 71% are between 16
and 29 years of age!
And in 1918-1919 Spanish flu claims more victims than
the war in its entirety. This devastating influenza
epidemic is named from the country where it
first broke out. Estimates of the number of dead
worldwide range from 20 to 100 million,
depending on the sources used.
Four years of war
In the ’Westhoek’,
the Flanders Fields Country
The Germans wanted to seize the crucial Channel ports in France.
This meant that they had to capture Ypres first. The high ground
around the once famous cloth city and in neighbouring Heuvelland
was of great strategic importance. Whoever held these heights was
in a strong position: the hills overlooked the enemy, gave excellent
observation for artillery and were easy to defend. As a result, the
fight for these ridges and hills was bloody and hard. Early in the
war the Ypres Salient was formed - a huge bulge in the British lines
which jutted deep into the German-held territory. ’Remember
Belgium!’ became a rallying cry which persuaded hundreds
of thousands of British volunteers to fight in Flanders - in
the small piece of Belgium now known as the Westhoek.
The British soldiers called the city ’Wipers’ - a mispronunciation of Ypres (the French name for the city, which
was used on the military maps of the time). It was a
name destined to become famous throughout the
English-speaking world. The Belgian Army occupied
the sector from the coast at Nieuwpoort, through
Diksmuide and up to the canal at Ypres. The British then took over the line between Ypres and the
French border. The French then held the rest of the
front between Picardy and the Swiss border.
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66
Searching for a name
First Battle of Ypres (Ieper)
(19 October - 22 November 1914)
After the German advance through Belgium and Northern France
was halted in September 1914, the centre of the fighting shifted to
the Westhoek.The Belgian Army halted the German attacks by flooding the IJzer plain (27-29 October 1914). To the south, the British
and the French fought with great determination to prevent a German
breakthrough at Ypres. This was the First Battle of Ypres, which
raged from 22 October to 22 November 1914. When the battle was
over, the Germans held the ring of high ground which overlooked the
city. Both armies dug in and the famous Ypres Salient was born.
Second Battle of Ypres (Ieper)
(22 April - 25 May 1915)
In the spring of 1915 the Germans made a new attempt to break
through at Ypres. They captured Hill 60 and on 22 April 1915,
between Steenstrate and Langemark, they used chlorine gas for the
first time in modern warfare. 150 tons of gas were released from
6,000 cylinders directed against the French lines.The result was
death, panic... and total surprise. The Allies were forced to withdraw
for several kilometres, but there was no breakthrough. In September
it was the turn of the Germans to be surprised, when the British used
gas in their attack at Loos. Until the end of the war in November
1918, both sides bombarded each other with millions of gas shells.
However, as a proportion of the total number of casualties, gas claimed relatively ’few’ victims.
The first gasmasks
Third Battle of Ypres (Ieper)
(31 July - 10 November 1917)
The Mine Battle at Messines (Mesen)-Wijtschate
Summer 1917. The great Mine Battle of 7 June to the south of
Ypres - in the sector known to the British as Messines Ridge and
to the Germans as the ”Wijtschate Bogen” - quite literally made
the world shake. 19 mines were detonated under the German lines,
causing explosions which could be heard as far
away as London. In the beginning, this British
offensive was a success. This was the prelude
to the ill-fated Third Battle of Ypres.
The Battle of Passendale
The success at Messines was followed up in August with a new offensive: the Battle of Passendale.
This battle was a complete disaster.
The shells and the rain reduced the battlefield to a muddy swamp, through which
neither attackers nor defenders could move.
In four months the British lost 400,000 killed,
wounded and missing for the gain of just 8 kilometres of territory.
Mud was the worst enemy
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Four years of war
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68
Colonial troops
Dead horses
The Germans had built strong concrete bunkers, defended with nests
of machine guns that were almost impregnable. Passendale was a
hell of mud, blood and superhuman endurance. Little wonder that
British called the village ”Passiondale” - the valley of suffering. The
year 1917 also saw the first use by the Germans of mustard gas or
’ieperiet’. As an ’improvement’ on chlorine and phosgene, mustard
gas not only attacked the victim’s airways, but also caused the skin
to erupt in hideously painful blisters.
German Spring Offensive
(April 1918)
In the spring of 1918, the Germans were strengthened by the arrival
of fresh divisions from the Eastern Front, where the
October Revolution of 1917 had led to Russia’s withdrawal from the war. The German
offensive began in March, in the sector
between Arras and Laon. In April
new attacks were launched
near Ypres, where the Allied line was almost broken.
During the Battle of Mer-
kem (near Houthulst) on 17 April 1918, the Belgian Army had to
withstand a severe attack by the Germans. ’De Kippe’, a locality in
Merkem, and a number of bunkers were initially lost. However, following fierce hand-to-hand fighting with bayonets and knives, the
Germans were forced back to their original positions by nightfall.
Losses on both sides were high: the Belgians suffered 155 dead and
354 wounded, against a German total of 254 dead and 1,211 wounded. 780 Germans were also taken prisoner. It was the first major
Belgian victory since Halen in 1914. During the Battle of
Mount Kemmel the French in particular were very
hard pressed. On 25 April this strategically important hill was lost to
the Germans and Ypres was almost
captured.
The Final Offensive
(28 September - 11 November 1918)
By now, German reserves had been exhausted and the Americans were start-ing to
arrive on the Western Front in huge numbers. In Germany itself, the home front
began to disintegrate. From 28 September
until the Armistice on 11 November, a series of Allied offensives pushed the Germans
back to the River Scheldt.
HARRY PATCH
Harry Patch (1899-2009) fought in Passendale when he was just 19
years of age. He was a member of a Lewis-gun team in the Duke of
Cornwall’s Light Infantry. On 22 September 1917 three of his best
friends were killed by the explosion of a single shell. He was severely
wound-ed by the same blast and spent 12
months in hospital. It was only after his
100th birthday that he began to speak
about his war experiences. Harry was the
last surviving veteran of the trenches. He
died on 25 July 2009 at Wells in Somerset. ”Always remember the other side of
the line”, he said during the Last Post
Ceremony at the Menin Gate in 2008.
A monument was inaugurated on 27
September 2008 in the Melkweg in
Langemark, along the bank of the Steenbeek. This monument was created to
commemorate all war casualties, an initiative taken by Harry Patch.
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Four years of war
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70
Duckboards and German prisoners
The Battle of Houthulst Forest
Houthulst Forest was a key defensive position for the Germans
throughout the war. The woods had been transformed into a veritable
fortress, with its own narrow-gauge railway system, linked to the
main railway network behind the lines. On Saturday, 28 September
1918 the Belgian Army attacked this formidable obstacle. Almost
every Belgian unit was involved in the attack, which was supported
by the British Second Army and a number of French divisions. The
forest had been reduced to little more than a mass of shell-torn tree
trunks, but by the end of the first day the Belgians had succeeded in
capturing the German lines on a front which was 18 kilometres wide
and 6 kilometres deep.
The Americans
At the end of the war, American troops played an important role in
the final offensive. The 91st and 37th United States Divisions were
involved in the reconquest of the region between the Scheldt and the
Lys rivers in October-November 1918.
Waregem
The Flanders Fields American Cemetery is located near the town of
Waregem, some 40 kilometres from Ypres. It is the smallest American
cemetery on the European mainland and is also the only American
cemetery from the First World War in Belgium. The central chapel
contains the remains of 43 American soldiers in an unnamed collective grave. The cemetery itself has a total of 368 individual graves, of
which 21 are ’unknowns’. On 30 May 1927, just 9 days after his famous transatlantic flight, Charles Lindbergh flew over the cemetery
in his plane, the Spirit of Saint Louis, and dropped poppies in honour
of his fallen countrymen.
Kemmel
Along the road from Ypres to Kemmel (near Vierstraat), there is an
American memorial in the form of a stone altar, which commemorates the 27th and 30th American Divisions, who fought in this sector during August and September 1918. There is a similar American
monument in Oudenaarde.
Chateau Wood
The Armistice of 11 November 1918
At the beginning of November an armistice was signed in a railway carriage near the French town of Compiègne. The First World
War finally came to an end at 11 o’clock on the morning of 11
November 1918.
The Reconstruction
(1919 - 1967)
After the war, the vast majority of the refugees returned home. A
smaller number - particular Flemish farmers who had fled to France - remained in their adopted countries to build new lives there. In
the area around the old front line, Ypres, Diksmuide and numerous
villages had been completely destroyed. These ’Verwoeste Gewesten’ (Devastated Lands) were given a special status by the post-war
government. The first emergency homes were gradually replaced by
wooden barracks. Ruins were cleared away and the battlefields were
’cleaned up’. Trenches, shell-holes and craters were filled in. Ammunition was collected and made safe. The old houses and monuments
were gradually rebuilt, one by one. The Nieuwerck - an annex to the
Cloth Hall in Ypres, now used as part of the town hall - was
only completed in 1967. This marked the final end of the
so-called Period of Reconstruction.
In 2007 a farmer was killed by the explosion
of a 90 year-old shell. The war may
have only lasted a single generation, but it will still be
many generations before its
fatal legacy is finally erased.
Ypres: Menin Gate
NIEUWPOORT-BAD
Slijpe
Lombardsijde
73
Sint-Godelieve
NIEUWPOORT
Oostduinkerke
Ramskapelle
Koksijde
Schoorbakke
Wulpen
Moerdijk
Zevekote
Sint-Pieters-Kapelle
Sint-Joris
Mannekensvere
Spermalie
Schore
Eernegem
Moere
Zande
Leke
Koekelare
Tervate
Stuivekenskerke
Booitshoeke
nkerke
VEURNE
Oud-Stuivekens
Steenkerke
Eggewaartskapelle
Zoutenaaie
Bulskamp
Fortem
Vinkem
outem
Klerken
Lo
Knokkebrug
Staden
Fintele
Noordschote
Elzendamme
Stavele
veren-IJzer
During the four years of war in the Westhoek, more than half
a million soldiers were killed or went missing. Above all, it
was the British, the Germans, the French and the Belgians
who found their final resting place here. More than half this
total came from Great Britain and the lands of the Commonwealth.
HOUTHULST
Gijverinkhove
Pollinkhove
Jonkershove
Merkem
Vijfwegen
Reninge
Oostvleteren
Bikschote
Westvleteren
Roesbrugge
Haringe
Woesten
Sint-Sixtus
Proven
Westrozebeke
LANGEMARK
POELKAPELLE
Krombeke
Zuidschote
Passendale
Boezinge
Sint-Juliaan
Elverdinge
Brielen
Sint-Jan-ter-Biezen
Brandhoek
ZONNEBEKE
(See Cemeteries from page 114 onwards).
Potyze
IEPER
Reningelst
Dikkebus
Voormezele
FRANCE
Sint-Elooi
De Klijte
Westouter
Zandvoorde Kruiseke
LEGEND
The Allies
Occupied by
the Germans
Frontline 1917
Flooding
Dranouter
Ten Brielen
Houthem
Wijtschate
Kemmel
Wulvergem
Geluveld
Hollebeke
HEUVELLAND
Loker
Beselare
Bellewaarde
Zillebeke
Abele
Today their names can be found on the thousands of headstones
which dot the countryside and on the panels of the Memorials to
the Missing. Britons, Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders
lie buried in the more than 170 cemeteries which still surround the
city of Ypres (now Ieper). Soldiers from the many colonies of the
Moorsledeperiod also fought and died here: Senegalese, Moroccans, Algerians,
Tunisians, Indians, Sikhs,… and even Chinese.
Sint-Jan
Vlamertinge
POPERINGE
The front
in the ’Westhoek’
”Thousands and thousands
of soldiers...”
Woumen
Nieuwkapelle
Hoogstade
Kortemark
Handzame
Zarren
Oudekapelle
Alveringem
Izenberge
Werken
Esen
Sint-Jacobskapelle
Sint-Rijkers
isele
Edewalle
DIKSMUIDE
Kaaskerke
Lampernisse
Oeren
Bovekerke
Beerst
Vladslo
Oostkerke
Wulveringem
A new weapon and the first gas masks
Keiem
Pervijze
Avekapelle
Ichtegem
Mokker
MESEN
Neerwaasten
Waasten
Nieuwkerke
Ploegsteert
WERVIK
Komen
Wervicq-sud
Comines
Friend and foe
The front in the ’Westhoek’
duinkerke-aan-Zee
n-Zee
NIEUWPOORT-BAD
75
NIEUWPOORT
DE PANNE
VEURNE
DIKSMUIDE
ALVERINGEM
Frontzate
Nieuwpoort
Lock complex ’De Ganzenpoot’ (Goose’s Foot)
and the Albert I Monument
Lock complex and Albert I Monument
HOUTHULST
It was here that the old railway line from Diksmuide to Nieuwpoort
once ran, also known as ’Line 74’. In 1983 this isolated (and now
disused) stretch of track was turned into a walking and cycling path.
During the war the ’Frontzate’ was an important line of defence
and Line 74 had a key strategic function. During the flooding of
the IJzer plain, the raised railway embankment acted as a water
buffer. A number of brick bunkers were built into the embankment,
to offer protection to the troops. 70 or so bunkers between Pervijze
and Nieuwpoort can still be seen: silent witnesses to this page in
Belgian history.
74
From the Langebrug (Long Bridge) in Nieuwpoort, there is an excellent view of the famous ’Goose’s Foot’, a complex of locks where the
river Ijzer, two shipping canals and three drainage canals all flow
together. It was from here that the IJzer plain and front region was
LANGEMARK
flooded at the end of 1914. In peacetime, the sea locks allowed
the
low-lying coastal plain to shed its excess water, whilst at the same POELKAPELLE
time regulating water levels in the canals for navigation purposes. At
Ramskapelle
high tide the gates of the sea lock remained closed, but at ebb tide
The First World War was disastrous for the architectural heritage
they were opened, to allow any surplus water to flow out to sea. The ZONNEBEKE
of the front region. By the end of 1918, this polder village had been
actual locks were used to move boats upstream and downstream.
reduced to a heap of ruins. It was rebuilt during the 1920s.
The superintendent ofPOPERINGE
the Northern Waterways, Karel CoggeIEPER
from
Just over the now-disused railway there is a commemVeurne, knew how this network of canals, streams and overflows was
I
orative plaque to the 14th
linked to the River IJzer via the locks at Nieuwpoort. Ship’s master
King Albert
Regiment of Line on the
Hendrik Geeraert knew how to open the flood gates. The water level
wall of the first house.
rose, the River IJzer overflowed its banks and its surrounding plain
This regiment lost more
was flooded. As a result, the Germans were forced to retire and this
HEUVELLAND
than 100 men during
sector of the front remained stable until the Final Offensive in 1918.
WERVIK
the recapture of the villNext to the Goose’s Foot stands the King Albert I Monument, which
age in October 1914. The
was dedicated in 1938 at the initiative of the Belgian NationalMESEN
Assoold station was used as
ciation of War Veterans. It was designed by Julien de Ridder and the
an observation post. It
sculptor was Karel Aubroeck. The platform on top of the memorial
was finally abandoned in
offers an excellent view of the IJzer plain and the port of Nieuwpoort,
1918, but was left in its
with its fishing harbour and yachting marina. Orientation tables
wartime state. The only
indicate the most important places of interest. On the first Sunday in
thing that has been chanAugust an annual national act of homage in honour of ’King Albert I
ged is the replacement of
and the Heroes of the IJzer’ is held here. Nearby stand a British and
the original sandbags with
a French memorial, as well as the so-called IJzer Monument.
Info: T. 0032(0)-58 23 55 87
modern concrete copies.
Open from 15 October to 28 February from 08.45 to 12.00 and from
13.15 to 17.00. From 1 March to 14 October from 08.45 to 12.00
and from 13.15 to 18.00. Closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public
holidays. Entrance fee: € 1
The Goose’s Foot during the war
VEURNE
77
DIKSMUIDE
ALVERINGEM
HOUTHULST
The Ijzer Tower and Gate of Peace
Diksmuide
LANGEMARK
POELKAPELLE
IJzer Tower, Gate of Peace and IJzer Crypt
Since 1924, an annual pilgrimage of remembrance to this shrine at
Kaaskerke (near Diksmuide) has been organised. These three monuZONNEBEKE
ments commemorate the heroic struggle of the Flemish people
to
achieve their national identity, but also reflect the desire of all nations for peace.
The first IJzer Tower was built in the
1930s, as a mePOPERINGE
IEPER
morial to the Flemish soldiers who had died at the front, which ran
along the line of the River IJzer between 1914 and 1918. During
the Second World War, the site was the scene of various GermanFlemish ceremonies. This original tower was destroyed by an explosion in 1946 and it was not until 1965 that a new structure arose,
HEUVELLAND
phoenix-like, from its ashes. In recent years, the 22 floors of the
new tower have been devoted to a museum on the themes of ’War, WERVIK
MESEN
Peace and the Emancipation of Flanders’. The real
atmosphere of
the Great War still lingers within the memorial compound. An underground passageway and a reconstructed dug-out give some small
idea of what conditions must have been like. In addition, each year a
number of thematic exhibitions are organised. The view from the top
of the 84 metre tower offers a magnificent panorama over the old
front-line and over the Westhoek as a whole. From 30 March until
30 December 2012 the exhibition Gott mit uns shows the use of
faith during war and the manifestations of religion in the trenches.
Ijzerdijk 49 - Info: T.0032(0)-51 50 02 86 - www.ijzertoren.org
Open from 1 April to 30 September from 09.00 to 18.00.
From 1 October to 31 March from 09.00 to 17.00. Weekend and public
holidays days from 10.00. Closed on 24, 25, 26 & 31 December and 1
& 2 January, and for the three weeks following the Belgian Christmas
holidays. Entrance fee: € 7 - <26y.: € 1
The Angels of Pervijze
At the end of November 1914, two British nurses arrived
on the Belgian front. In particular, Elisabeth Knocker was
struck by the number of wounded who died unnecessarily,
simply because of the distance they had to be transported
before treatment. For this reason, she wanted to set up an
aid post near the front line. In Pervijze (near Diksmuide)
she worked with Mairi Chisholm in a cellar less than 50
metres from the trenches. Elisabeth was even able to
make an unusual agreement with the Germans - they allowed her to collect wounded soldiers who had been left
behind in No Man’s Land. Her dog took a request to the German commander in the opposing trenches. If he agreed - which usually happened - she was able to move between the lines in safety. The Germans
would not shoot, provided she was wearing her nurse’s cap - and not a
helmet. Both nurses were decorated by King Albert in January 1915.
O.-L.-Vrouwehoekje (Our Lady’s Corner)
Stuivekenskerke
Our Lady’s Corner (O.-L.-Vrouwehoekje) in Stuivekenskerke is located between Nieuwpoort and Diksmuide. The church tower was an
important Belgian outpost during the war, and its preserved ruins
contain an orientation table which highlights key places of interest
on the IJzer front. The adjacent chapel of remembrance is ringed
by memorial stones to units of the Belgian army which served near
here. There is also an original demarcation stone, with the inscription: ”Here the invader was brought to halt...” The nearby railway
embankment still contains dugouts and other interesting relics from
the war years. This embankment marked the Belgian front line for
much of the period 1914 -1918.
76
Always open, free entrance
The ’Trench of Death’
Two kilometres further along the River IJzer stands one of the
most evocative reminders of the war in the Westhoek: the so-called
’Trench of Death’. This kilometre-long network of revetments, saps
and dug-outs was one of the most dangerous Belgian positions on
the Western Front, situated just 50 metres from a German bunker.
As a result, the trench was subjected to almost constant fire from
German snipers and machine guns. The site was recently renovated
and a new visitors centre was opened. Using maps, photographs,
videos and war memorabilia, a permanent exhibition in the centre
shows the relative positions of friend and foe, charts the destruction
of the surrounding towns and villages and tells the story of life - and
death - in the front-line.
Along the de Yzer - Info: T.0032(0)-51 50 53 44
Open from 1 April to 15 November from 10.00 to 16.30. From 16
November to 31 March on Tuesday and Friday from 09.30 to 15.30.
Entrance free. Closed from 25 December until 3 January.
The angels
of Pervijze
79
Vladslo - The ’Grieving Parents’
Belgian soldiers
The ’Grieving Parents’
Vladslo
This group of statues by the famous German Expressionist artist
Käthe Kollwitz is one of the most moving and memorable reminders
of the terrible price of war. She created the sculpture to commemorate the death of her son at the front in 1914. It now stands at the
rear of the German military cemetery in Vladslo (See page 124).
Houtlandstraat 3, 8600 Vladslo (Diksmuide)
The Little Bunker
Oudekapelle
This little bunker near the hamlet of Groigne is something of a
curiosity. It is definitely a Belgian bunker, built in 1918. However,
there is an unusual feature on its southern side: the entrance has a
pointed horseshoe arch with an inscription in Arabic!
Translated, this inscription reads: ’There is no greater God than
Allah. Whosoever believes in Allah will triumph, as at the victories
of Tadmoor and Namar’. The inscription was probably made by
Muslims soldiers serving in the French army.
Grote Beverdijkstraat - 8600 Oudekapelle (Diksmuide).
Diksmuide: Trench of Death
Belgian Military Cemetery at Keiem
See page 115
German Military Cemetery at Vladslo
See page 124
Käthe Kollwitz
This famous German artist and sculptress
was born in July 1867 as Käthe Schmidt
in the Prussian city of Köningsberg (now
Kaliningrad in Russia). In 1891 she married Karl Kollwitz, a local doctor. The
couple - who were widely known for their
deep social commitment - had two sons:
Hans (born in 1892) and Peter (born in
1896). Peter was killed near Esen on 22
October 1914. His heartbroken mother who was a leading member of the Expressionist school of art in Germany - planned a memorial for her lost son. This took
much longer than originally intended but
by 1931 a plaster version of the ’Grieving Parents’ was finally ready.
During the following year the sculpture was carved from Belgian
granite by August Rhades and Fritz Diederich. In July 1932 the
finished work was erected in the Roggeveld German military cemetery at Esen, near Diksmuide. This cemetery, togther with the
statues, was later tranferred to its present site in Vladslo. In 1933
Käthe Kollwitz was removed from the Prussian Academy of Art
by the Nazis and the public display of her work was banned from
1935 onwards. She died at Moritzberg on 22 April 1945.
Esen near Diksmuide
78
81
HOUTHULST
LANGEMARK
POELKAPELLE
The road to Passchendaele…
ZONNEBEKE
POPERINGE
Houthulst
IEPER
The Peace Mill
Klerken
The Germans occupied the village of Klerken in
November 1914. Despite the severity of the bomHEUVELLAND
bardments, the windmill remained relatively intact. It stands on a 43 metre-high hill and was
MESEN post. On
used by the Germans as an observation
28 September 1918 the Belgians launched their
final attack on Klerken. The Germans in the mill
were surrounded but held their ground. The next
morning they had all disappeared. Legend has
it that they made use of an underground tunnel
to escape. The attack on Klerken cost the lives
of 554 Belgian soldiers. The mill was recently
damaged in a storm but will be repaired.
Molenweg
Drie Grachten (Three Canals)
Merkem
In 1914 and 1915 this bridge was an important outpost for first
Belgian and later French troops. A memorial plaque on the wall
commemorates a celebrated action by the French Zouaves. On 10
November 1914, 500 Zouaves attacked strong German positions
with cold steel. The attack failed, largely because the Zouaves
preceded it with bugle calls and loud shouts of ’en
avant à la bayonette’ (forward with the bayonet!). All
surprise was lost and there were heavy casualties on
both sides. Two days later, the Germans launched their
own attack on the Drie Grachten. They tried to shield
their advance by making captured Zouaves walk ahead
of them into No Man’s Land. Suddenly, one of the Zouaves cried out: ’Tirez donc nom de Dieu, ce sont les
Boches’ (Shoot us, for God’s sake: it’s the Germans!).
The attack failed. In 1915 the Germans finally managed
to capture this advanced position and they held it until it
was retaken by the French at the end of 1917.
Driegrachtensteenweg - 8650 Merkem
Belgian Military Cemetery
Houthulst
See page 116
Poelkapelle:
the inauguration of the Guynemer
monument in 1923
The Brooding Soldier
WERVIK
Sint-Juliaan
The Canadian Forces Memorial at Sint-Juliaan was erected in
remembrance of the 2,000 dead of the First Canadian Division,
who were killed in the fighting which followed the German gas attack of 22 April 1915. The monument dates from 1921 and was
designed by F.C. Clemeshaw. It is also known as ’The Brooding
Soldier’ - a reference to the grieving Canadian warrior, his head
bowed in sorrow and his hands resting on the butt of his upturned
rifle. It is generally regarded as one of the most poignant military
memorials in the Salient.
Crossroads Brugseweg-Zonnebekestraat - 8920 Sint-Juliaan
Guynemer Monument
Poelkapelle
Perhaps one of the most impressive French memorial in the Salient
is the monument erected in memory of the French pilot Georges
Guynemer in Poelkapelle. Guynemer was one of the great pioneers
of aerial warfare and in 1917 the skies above Poelkapelle were the
scene of some of his most memorable actions. It was here that he
disappeared on 11 September 1917 during a routine mission. His
body was never recovered.
The Guynemer monument was inaugurated on 8 July 1923 and is crowned
by a graceful stork - a reference to the
great ace’s squadron: l’Escadrille des
Cigognes.
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83
LANGEMARK
POELKAPELLE
82
ZONNEBEKE
POPERINGE
IEPER
Pals...
Charles Dresse Monument
Poelkapelle
This slightly neglected monument with an obelisk and a Breton
cross was erected in 1922. The text is in both Dutch and French
(which was unusual for that time). It is dedicated to Charles Dresse,
who was born in Liege on 23 January 1897 and died in this vicinity
on 28 September 1918. He is now buried in the Belgian military
cemetery at Westvleteren.
Poperingestraat
German Military Cemetery
Langemark
See page 123
Georges Guynemer
Georges Guynemer was a famous
French pilot who won many aerial
duals. Born in Paris on 24 December 1894, his small size intially
made it difficult for him to enlist
in the services. He was finally
accepted into the infant air force
as a non-commissioned officer but
was soon promoted to the rank
of captain. He shot down his first
enemy plane in July 1915 and
went on to claim no fewer than 53
victims, earning him the name of
the ’Legendary Guynemer’. On 11
September 1917 he set off in his
favourite Spad biplane for a reconnaisance mission over the Ypres
Salient. He never returned. When the
British later captured the village of
Poelkapelle, they heard tales of a
Spad which had been shot down nearby. Sadly, subsequent bombardments had obliterated all trace
of the plane and Guynemer’s
body was never recovered.There is
still a monument to this greatest of
all French aces in Poelkapelle, crowned by a flying stork - the symbol of his
squadron: L’Escadrille des Cigognes.
Zonnebeke
HEUVELLAND
Passchendaele 1917 Memorial Museum
WERVIK
In 1917 more than 400,000 soldiers were lost
in the course of just one
MESEN
hundred days, and all for a paltry territorial gain of a few kilometres
of shell-torn mud. The final objective for this unprecedented slaughter
was the village of Passendale - then known as Passchendaele. The memory of this tragedy has been preserved for posterity in the Memorial
Museum in Zonnebeke. Using authentic photographic material, a wide
collection of historical objects and several realistic dioramas, the museum tells the story of the battle as it was experienced by the troops.
Pride of place goes to a reconstruction of a 6 metre-deep British dugout, complete with communications and first-aid posts, headquarters
and sleeping facilities. In anticipation of 2014, the renewed and enlarged Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 will be opened. The
enlargement results in a new underground museum focusing on the
Battle of Passchendaele, a network of open air trenches and a new remembrance gallery. In this way the museum walk is extended up to 400
metres, along which 5.000 exhibits can be seen.The museum is housed
in the historic park of Zonnebeke Château and is close to Tyne Cot
Cemetery, to which it is linked by a special walking and cycling path.
Château park - Info: T. 0032(0)-51 77 04 41
www.zonnebeke.be - www.passchendaele.be
Open from 1 February to 30 November, from 9.00 to 17.00.
Entrance fee: € 5 - < 26y.: € 1
Memorial Museum
Passchendaele 19
The Passchendaele Archives’.
The Passchendaele Archives is a project of the Memorial Museum
Passchendaele 1917. With ’The Passchendaele Archives’ the museum wants to put a face and a story on those names by building
up personal archives with photographs, family information and
copies from military sources. Did a relative of yours fight in Passchendaele 1917? Did he give his life? If you have a photograph,
please contact the MMP1917. In return for your cooperation we
will try to find out what exactly happened to your relative.
17
85
Cryer Farm
Passchendaele
Command bunker
Zandvoorde
Just outside the village of Zandvoorde there is a German command
bunker, dating from 1916. With 6 rooms and 2 entrances, this is one
of the most impressive examples of German military architecture
still surviving in the Salient. The bunker served as a link between the
front-line in Hollebeke and headquarters units in Komen.
Komenstraat - Info: T. 0032(0)-51 77 04 41
Permanent free access, from sunrise to sunset.
Crypt
In the civil cemetery in Zonnebeke there is a crypt with fourteen separate coffins, which contain the remains of Zonnebeke’s war dead. This
sad and slightly lugubrious collection of bones is unique in Belgium.
Civil cemetery - Info: T. 0032(0)-51 77 04 41 - www.zonnebeke.be
Cryer Farm
Geluveld
Also dating from 1916, a further German aid post can still be seen
along the Menin-Ieper road, near the locality known as Clapham
Junction. This post was captured in September 1917 by the British
lieutenant Cryer, who lost his life in the process.
Menenstraat - Info: T. 0032(0)-51 77 04 41
Only accessible on appointment. Please contact the Tourist Office.
’The Road to Passchendaele’
This route allows walkers and cyclists to trace the advance of the
Allied forces on 4 October 1917, a key day in the Battle of Passchendaele. The old railway bed of the now disused Ieper-Roeselare
line links the Memorial Museum with Tyne Cot Cemetery, over a distance of 3 kilometres. Along the way, there are various bunkers and
other relics of the war to be seen. School groups can book a special
’Platoon Experience’, which will allow them to follow in the personal
footsteps of a soldier from 1917.
Info: T. 0032(0)-51 77 04 41
’Platoon Experience’ only available for pupils
older than 14 years of age. Reservations via the Tourist Office.
Polygon Wood
Polygon Wood is a large wood,which was completely destroyed in the
First World War.There you will find a burial ground named ’Buttes New
British Cemetery’ with the ’New Zealand Memorial’. It commemorates
383 officers and men of the New Zealand Division. On top of the the
’butte’ (hill) you will find the Memorial of the 5th Australian Division.
In Polygon Wood there are still remains of several shelters. Each year
on ANZAC Day (25 April), the efforts of the ANZAC soldiers are commemorated during a service called ’Dawn Service’. Polygon Wood Cemetery lies on the other side of the road.
Tyne Cot Cemetery
See page 118
Crest Farm Canadian Memorial
This monument commemorates the commitment of the Canadian
Corps which during the Battle of Passchendaele suffered heavy losses here, but eventually managed to take Passchendaele church though.
Crest Farm is situated on high ground, offering an excellent view over
the battlefield. Passchendaele church is barely 700 metres off. However,
it took the Canadian troops almost 10 days to get that far. The road
between the monument and the church is called Canadalaan. Every
year on the evening of the 10th November, there is a ceremony with
torch parade to the church.
Location: Canadalaan, Passendale - Free admission
Polygon Wood, Zonnebeke
84
LANGEMARK
POELKAPELLE
87
ZONNEBEKE
POPERINGE
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In Flanders Fields Museum
HEUVELLAND
Ieper (YPRES)
WERVIK
MESEN
Symbol of sacrifice
In the Middle Ages Ypres became world famous because of its
cloth trade. Commercial relations flourished, particularly with
England, which provided much of the wool on which the town’s
great prosperity was based. The most obvious symbol of this
prosperity was the magnificent Cloth Hall, built during the 13th
century.Ypres was occupied by the German army for one night at
the beginning of the Great War. It was recaptured on 14 October
1914 - and remained in Allied hands until the end of hostilities.
Some five million British and Commonwealth
soldiers passed through Ypres on their way
to the Salient. Reduced to rubble by constant
bombardment, the town came to symbolise the
meaningless slaughter of the Great War. After
the Armistice, the British government wished
to acquire the ruins of Ypres as a permanent memorial to the sacrifices of its army
between 1914 and 1918. However, the returning refugees wanted to rebuild their homes
and the wishes of the local population finally prevailed. Now restored to its former
grandeur, Ypres - now Ieper - still contains
numerous poignant sites and monuments
linked to the war.
e
all under fir
The Cloth H
Ypres after the war
In Flanders Fields Museum
Between the opening in April 1998 and the closing in November
2011, the In Flanders Fields museum could welcome more than
2.850.000 visitors. The new version of the museum opens its doors
to the public on 11 June 2012 to tell the story of the Great War in
Flanders again: 50% larger, with a completely new scenography and
with numerous new angles. As the last witnesses have now passed
away, the museum is more than ever the portal to the First World
War in Flanders. On top of this, visitors will also have the opportunity
to climb the belfry tower and to enjoy the exceptional views of the
once so heavily troubled region. Hence, the renovation of the museum
goes much further than a new presentation and embellishment only.
It is not only larger, but the interactive aspect of the museum visit
has been extended even more to enable the visitor to discover and
experience the WWI stories more intensively.
Coth Hall, Market Place 34 - 8900 Ypres - Info : +32 (0)57 239 220
www.inflandersfields.be - Open : 11 June 2012 - 15 November : daily
from 10.00 to 18.00. 16 November - 31 March: until 17.00 only, and
also closed on Mondays and 3 weeks after the Christmas holidays.
Ticket sale stops 1 hour before closing time.
Entrance fees: € 8,00 - < 26 y. ; € 1,00 - visit belfry tower: € 2,00
- The visitor pays 1,00 EUR on top of the admission fee for the poppybracelet with micro chip. After the visit he or she can keep the bracelet
or hand it in and redeem 1,00 EUR at the museum reception.
Yorkshire Trench & Dug-Out
Boezinge
The war is still ever-present in the Ieper area. Not only in the landscape, with its hundreds of cemeteries, monuments and relics, but
also underground. This underground war can still be found at a depth
of between 60 and 70 cm, something the local population quickly
learned, when from 1997 onwards a new industrial site was developed along the Ieper - Ijzer canal. Numerous vestiges of the war
were soon discovered: unexploded ammunition, constructions, human
remains… Since then, the bodies of some 205 soldiers of three different nation-alities have been recovered. The city acquired a small
plot of land, for the creation of a memorial site by the In Flanders
Fields Museum. This plot marks the location of ’Yorkshire Trench’,
originally dug by the British in 1915. In close consultation with the
archaeological team, the trench was restored along its original route,
including the entrance and exit of a deep dug-out from 1917. At the
IFF Museum, a film, a scale model and an interactive stand, including an exhibition of the objects found in the dug-out, give a deeper
insight into this fascinating and little-known aspect of the war ”in the
wet, wet Flanders’ plain.”
Industrial estate along the Ieper -Ijzer canal - Bargiestraat, 8904 Boezinge
The site is permanently open (sunrise to sunset) and entrance is free
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89
Essex farm
Ypres, the Menin Gate in 1928
Canal Bank - site John McCrae
One of the best known sites in the Ypres Salient is Essex Farm
Cemetery and A.D.S. (Advanced Dressing Station), where John
McCrae wrote his world-famous poem ’In Flanders Fields’ at the
beginning of May 1915.
In addition to the cemetery and the adjacent concrete shelters of
the old dressing station, the bank of the canal has also recently been
opened to the public over a distance of 450 metres. It was here that
the guns of the 1st Canadian Artillery Brigade stood in April 1915
and it was on this spot shortly afterwards that the Royal Engineers
built a number of shelters and dugouts for the protection of the
troops in the high canal bank. This bank had originally been dug
in the 17th century by the French military architect Vauban as a
’retranchement’, a large fortification alongside the canal, which for
more than 50 years constituted the northern border of Louis XIV’s
French empire. Shortly after the 1918 armistice, the numerous bunkers in the bank also served as temporary accommodation for many
of the refugees returning home.
High on the canal bank stands a monument to the 49th West Riding
Division, which was first deployed here in the summer of 1915 and
suffered heavy losses.
next to Diksmuidseweg 148, 8900 Ypres
Mine craters
In comparison with many other offensives, the Mine Battle of 7
June 1917 - also known as the Battle of Messines Ridge - was one
of the most successful British operations on the Western Front
during the war.
This offensive was opened with the explosion of 19 large mines and
traces of 16 craters are still visible to this day, almost all in the
shape of deep ponds. Until recently, only the famous Lone Tree Crater in Wijtschate (commonly known as the Pool of Peace) was open
to the public. However, in 2001 the Province of West Flanders also
acquired the ’Domain De Vierlingen’ (near Hill 60), which contains
the Caterpillar Crater. Due to the proximity of the nearby railway
cutting, this crater is the only one in Flanders that is not filled with
water.
Since mid 2003, it has also been possible to visit the mine crater
at St. Eloi, which was the result of the largest deep mine (50 tons
of ammonal) detonated during the war. The crater is flanked by an
intact British bunker from 1917 and stands just 100 metres from
another crater (on the opposite side of the road), the result of one
of the six mines exploded on 27 March 1916 during the Attack on
St. Eloi.
next to Rijselseweg 214, 8902 Voormezele from 10.00 to 17.00.
Access code available at the Ypres tourist office.
The Menin Gate
The Menin Gate is the most famous Commonwealth war memorial in
Flanders. It was designed in classical style by Sir Reginald Blomfield
and stands on the site of one of the old town gates. Tens of thousands
of soldiers passed through this gate on the way to the front, many of
them never to return. Opened in 1927, the memorial bears the names
of 54.896 soldiers who were reported missing in the Ypres Salient
between the outbreak of war and 15 August 1917.
Because the gate was too small to hold the names of all the missing,
those who were lost after this date (a further 34,000) are commemorated on the panels of the Tyne Cot Memorial in Passendale.
The Last Post Ceremony takes place each day under the Menin Gate
at 20.00. Info: T. 0032(0)-57 48 66 10 - www.lastpost.be
John McCrae
In 1915, during the Second Battle of Ypres, this
military doctor worked in an aid post near the Ieperlee
Canal in Boezinge. Born in Canada in 1872, McCrae
originally saw active service as a volunteer during
the Boer War in South Africa (1899-1902). He resigned from the army in 1901, but re-enlisted again
on the outbreak of war in August 1914. On 22 April
1915 he was amongst the first to treat the casualties
of the terrible chlorine gas attack. Deeply affected
by what he had seen, at the beginning of May 1915
he wrote his famous poem, ’In Flanders Fields’.
McCrae died of a cerebral haemorrhage (brought
on by pneumonia) at Wimereux (France) on 28 January 1918. The
poppy, which his poem had made so famous, eventually became the
symbol for the sacrifice of war: perhaps because its thrives in devastation and grows where everything else is dead. ”Red is the leaf and
the blood, black is the heart of sorrow…”
In Flanders fields the poppies blow,
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky,
The larks, still bravely singing, fly,
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
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91
Hill 60
A trench landscape
St. George’s Memorial Church
St. George’s Memorial Church was built in 1929 in honour of the
soldiers and units of the British army who served in the Ypres Salient
during the war. Designed by Reginald Blomfield in the style of an
English parish church, it contains many poignant memorials to both
individuals and regiments. The small school next to the church was
known as the Eton College School. For many years, it provided education for the children of the many British employees of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. This British community was forced
to flee Ieper during the Second World War. Few returned after 1945
and the school was eventually closed. It now serves as the church hall.
Elverdingsestraat 1 - Open daily.
’In Flanders Fields’ Knowlegde Centre
This centre is a repository for more than 13,000 books, 500
topographic maps, an extensive photographic library and hundreds
of newspapers and magazines about the First World War.
Temporarily closed to the public. From 11 June 2012 on:
Sint-Maartensplein 3 - 8900 Ypres
+32 (0)57 239 450 - [email protected]
Open: from Monday to Friday, between 10.00 and 17.00
Hill 62 - Sanctuary Wood
Zillebeke
At Hill 62 in Zillebeke, there is an impressive memorial to commemorate the Canadian forces who served in the Ypres Salient. ’Maple
Avenue’ - the road which now leads to this memorial - once formed part
of the Canadian front line. After the war, the avenue was planted with
maple trees as a mark of respect for the Canadian sacrifice (the maple
leaf is the national symbol of Canada). The memorial stands on top of
the hill, surrounded by a pleasant park. It was the scene of fierce fighting in June 1916, but now offers peaceful views of the spires of Ieper.
Other museums
Ramparts War Museum - Ieper
Private museum. Models and tableau's depicting scenes from the war,
using original material and artefacts recovered from the battlefields.
Rijselsestraat 208 - Info: T. 0032(0)-57 20 02 36 - Entrance fee: € 3
Access via Café ”t Klein Rijsel”. Open from 10.30 to 20.00. Closed on
Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Sanctuary Wood Museum - Zillebeke
Private museum with original wartime trenches. Interesting collection of war photographs on original glass plates.
Hill 60
Canadalaan 26 - Info: T. 0032(0)-57 46 63 73 - Entrance fee: € 10
Zillebeke
This hill was created by the earth excavated from the adjacent
railway cutting. In 1914 it was captured by the Germans from the
French. Later, this sector was taken over by the British, who began
an underground war of mines and counter-mines. The first British
”deep’ mine was exploded on 17 February 1915. Following a second detonation on 17 April 1915, the British were able to temporarily seize the hill, but it was soon lost. The underground
war continued until the beginning of June 1917 (Third
Battle of Ypres). Countless soldiers worked in the cold
and the dark of the mine tunnels. Some of them died
there and are still buried beneath the clay. In this sense,
Hill 60 is their cemetery.
Site preserved in its original wartime state, complete with craters,
bunkers,memorials, etc.
Zwarteleenstraat 8902, Zillebeke
Hooge Crater Museum - Zillebeke
Private museum with photographs, weapons, equipment and life-size
reconstructions of scenes from the war years. A stained-glass window
portrays the burning of the Cloth Hall in Ieper on 22 November 1914.
Meenseweg 467 - Info: T. 0032(0)-57 46 84 46 - Entrance fee: € 4.50
Open from 1 February to 23 December. Closed on Mondays.
Menin Road Museum - Zillebeke
Private museum with life-like displays, original artefacts and reconstructions of trenches and dug-outs.
Meenseweg 470 - Info: T. 0032(0)-57 20 11 36
www.meninroadmuseum.com - Admission: € 3.50 - Closed on Tuesdays.
Site ’t Hooghe - Kasteelhof ’t Hooghe
Remnants of the numerous mine impacts near the strategically
important Hooge can be seen in the garden of the Kasteelhof ’t
Hooghe hotel. An original trench has been exposed here in 1995.
Meenseweg 481 - 8902 Ieper
+32 (0)57 468 787 - www.hotelkasteelhofthooghe.be
The site can be visited at a donation of € 1,00 in the collecting box.
Saint Charles de Potyze
French Military Cemetery
See page 122
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
See page 121
Hill 60
90
ZONNEBEKE
92
IEPER
HEUVELLAND
WERVIK
MESEN
British soldiers moving a gun into position
Heuvelland
THE LAST POST
Every evening at 8 pm, a deeply moving ceremony takes place
under the vast arch of the Menin Gate: the traffic stops and buglers
from the local fire brigade play ’The Last Post’. The ceremony was
begun in 1928 and the buglers have performed it faithfully ever
since, although they were banned from playing during the German
occupation of 1940-44. Brookwood Barracks in England took over
the ceremony during the war, but the tradition was immediately
re-established on the first day after the liberation in September
1944. Sometimes the ceremony is attended by just a few spectators;
on more formal occasions, hundreds can be present. Irrespective of
numbers, the Last Post remains a unique and moving experience.
Daily at 20.00 under the Menin Gate
Info: T. 0032(0)-57 48 66 10 - www.lastpost.be
During the ceremony a verse from the poem ’For the Fallen’
by Laurence Binyon is usually read out:
’They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them’.
Francis Ledwidge
Despite his strong Irish nationalist sentiments, this poet enlisted in the British Army during the Great War. Born in 1887
at Slane, deep in the old heartlands of Ireland, he was killed near the Carrefour des Roses (Rose Crossroad) on 31 July
1917 - the opening day of the Third Battle of Ypres. He is buried
nearby in ArtilleryWood Military Cemetery.His poems are mainly about
Ireland,buthealsowrotesomefinepiecesabouthiswartimeexperiences:
Soliloquy, A Soldier’s Grave, Home, Ascension Thursday:1917. His
most famous poem was his Lament for Thomas MacDonagh, who
was shot by the British following the abortive Easter Uprising in Dublin in 1916. Ledwidge was a man dedicated to the poet’s art and a
memorial in his honour now stands near the spot where he was killed,
alongside the cycle path on the site of the old railway line to Torhout.
y
ar the bittern cr
He shall not he where he is lain,
In the wild sky, e sweeter birds,
Nor voices of th g of the rain.
lin
Above the wai
Donagh’)
ac
t for Thomas M
(From ’Lamen
Heuvelland Tourist Office
Kemmel
The Tourist Office at Kemmel is the ideal starting point for your
journey of discovery through the history of the First World War in
Heuvelland.
In the Tourist Office, it is also possible to view the documentary ’Zero Hour’ - the story of the mine battles of 1917. This
documentary is a combination of aerial photography, live
recordings, archive material and re-enacting. For more information
about the mine battles, please consult the website www.zerohour.be
Sint-Laurentiusplein 1 - 8950 Kemmel (Heuvelland)
Info: T. 0032(0)-57 45 04 55 - www.heuvelland.be
Open on workdays from 9.00 to 12.00 and from 13.15 to 17.00. On
Saturday from 9.30 to 17.00 and on Sunday from 10.00 to 12.00.
Closed on holidays. From 1 April to 14 November also open on Sunday
from 14.00 to 17.00 and on holdiays from 10.00 to 12.00 and from
14.00 to 17.00.
Pool of Peace
Wijtschate
The Pool of Peace (or Lone Tree Crater) in Wijtschate is a now
peaceful reminder of the great Mine Battle of 1917. On 7 June
1917, the British attempted to capture Messines Ridge, a strategically important area of high ground around the villages of Wijtschate
and Mesen (Messines). The opening of the offensive was marked by
the detonation of 19 deep mines under the German lines between
Ploegsteert and Hill 60. The explosions formed enormous craters in
the landscape. The largest and most impressive crater is the Pool of
Peace. It is 12 metres deep and has a diameter of 129 metres. The
site is administered by the provincial government of West Flanders.
Kruisstraat - Info: T. 0032(0)-57 45 04 55 - www.heuvelland.be
The Pool of Peace
POPERINGE
93
95
Bayernwald from the air
Bunkers on the Lettenberg
Bayernwald (Bayern Wood)
Wijtschate
This unique German site is located
between the villages of Wijtschate and
Voormezele. The site consists of two
mine galleries, a mine shaft, a trench
system and five bunkers. It is accessed
via a footpath which passes through
the restored network of trenches. A
series of information panels give details of the events which took place
here and explain what life at the
front was really like. Tickets only for
sale in the Tourist Office in Kemmel.
Voormezelestraat, near Croonaert Wood
Info: T. 0032(0)-57 45 04 55
www.heuvelland.be
Entrance fee: individual € 5 pp, -26
years € 1 pp, groups € 2,5 pp
The Lettenberg Hill
Kemmel
The ’Lettenberg’ hill (79 m) is a spur of the much larger Kemmel
Hill, which dominates its position. Towards the end of 1916, the
British engineers and tunnellers started to excavate an underground
headquarters complex at Kemmel Hill, which was the most important British observation post in the sector. Between 4 April and the
end of May 1917, the 175th Tunnelling Company worked on the
construction of a new brigade headquarters under the Lettenberg.
The concrete bunkers which gave access to this headquarters have
now been restored. There are four shelters, built in reinforced concrete, which was poured in moulds of corrugated sheeting. Each
shelter has an entrance and a window on the western side. Access
to the site is via a footpath with explanatory information panels.
Lokerstraat - Info: T. 0032(0)-57 45 04 55 - www.heuvelland.be
French Monument
Kemmel
On the summit of Kemmel Hill there is an impressive French memorial which commemorates the heavy fighting which took place here in
April 1918. The memorial is known popularly as ’The Angel’.
French Ossuary
See page 122
French
Soldiers
Achiel van Walleghem
Achiel van Walleghem was curate in the village
of Dikkebus during the war and kept a diary of
events in his parish. He noted what people experienced and felt. The manuscript, which testifies
to his great humanity, was edited and re-written
by Achiel himself after the war.
”In the morning, an English soldier was shot
against the wall of the convent because he
refused to go to the trenches. His own pals
were forced to do it. Many soldiers have told
me how terrible it is to have to shoot a mate.
Some of them cry from guilt and remorse…”
In these words, the curate described the execution of Private William Smith in a field behind
the convent in Reningelst on 14 November 1917.
’Shot at dawn’.
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HEUVELLAND
WERVIK
MESEN
The Irish Peace Park and Peace Tower
Messines (Mesen)
The Irish Peace Park and Peace Tower
In the Irish Peace Park in Mesen (Messines), a round tower serves
as a memorial in honour of Irishmen of all denominations who
died during the First World War. The tower transcends religious and
political differences, aspiring to be a symbol of reconciliation, not
only for the past, but also for the present and the future. During
the Battle of Messines, which started on 7 June 1917, the Catholic
and Protestant Irish divisions (the 16th Irish and the 36th Ulster)
fought side by side to gain the ridge on which the villages of Wijtschate and Mesen stand.
Armentiersesteenweg
Free access from Monday to Friday from 09.00 to 17.00. Guided visits
are possible, also on Saturday. Please contact the Tourist Office.
The New Zealand Monument
The New Zealand Division was also heavily engaged in the Battle
of Messines in 1917. Each year, on 25 April, the New Zealand and
Australian dead are commemorated on ANZAC Day (Australian
and New Zealand Army Corps). Mesen (Messines) is twinned with
the town of Featherston in New Zealand: quite literally on the other
side of the world.
Nieuw-Zeelanderstraat
Messines Ridge Memorial to the Missing
This memorial is located at the entrance to Messines Ridge British
Cemetery and bears the names of 839 New Zealand soldiers who
died during the Battle of Messines and have no known grave.
There are similar memorials to New Zealand’s war dead in Tyne
Cot Cemetery and Buttes New British Cemetery.
Nieuwkerkestraat
The International Peace School
The Peace School is an initiative launched by the Catholic and Protestant communities of Northern Ireland. In addition to being an
educational project, the school is also intended as a place of contemplation, where it is possible to reflect on the madness of war.The fully
renovated complex contains everything necessary for lectures and
group debates on the subject of peace. In 2006 the Messines Peace
Village opened its doors, offering no fewer than 128 sleeping places
in 32 separate accommodation units.
Nieuwkerkestraat 9A
Only by appointment, please contact the Tourist Office.
Peace Carillon
The belfry of the St. Nicolas Church houses a carillon of no fewer
than 61 bells, donated as symbols of peace by individuals and organisations from more than 15 different countries.
Sint-Niklaas Church
Monument to Samuel Frickleton
Erected to the memory of this New Zealand winner of the Victoria
Cross (V.C.).
Featherstonplein - next to the church
Samuel Frickleton
Born in Scotland in 1891 but with Irish blood also
in his veins, Samuel Frickleton emigrated to New
Zealand with his mother in 1913, following the
death of his father. He was the tenth of eleven children and went to work in the Blackball Mine. When
war broke out, he enlisted in the army and returned
to Europe as a non-commissioned officer in the New
Zealand Rifle Brigade. On 7 June 1917 - the opening
day of the great mine offensive against the Messines
Ridge - he was wounded during the early stages of
the advance. Even so, he was able to knock out two
German machine gun posts and subsequently defended
them against repeated counter-attack, notwithstanding
two further wounds. For his great bravery, Samuel Frickleton was awarded the Victoria Cross. Instigated by
Queen Victoria in 1856, the VC has only been awarded
1,355 times in its 150 year history. Sam Frickleton’s
medal can still be seen at the Army Memorial Museum at Waiouru in New Zealand.
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DE PANNE
99
VEURNE
DIKSMUIDE
ALVERINGEM
HOUTHULST
Behind the front:
unoccupied Belgium
Alveringem
LANGEMARK
POELKAPELLE
Kapelanij (The Chaplain’s House)
ZONNEBEKE
From 1911 until 1939 the priest-poet Cyriel Verschaeve (18741949) was the chaplain here. During the First World War, the chapPOPERINGE
IEPERsympathlain’s house was
a meeting place for Flemish nationalist
isers. Verschaeve was one of the prime movers of the so-called Front
Movement, which fought for the rights of Flemish-speaking soldiers
against the French-speaking High Command. During the Second
World War Verschaeve chose resolutely for collaboration with the
Germans. In 1946 he was sentenced
to death in absentia by Court
HEUVELLAND
Martial. He died in exile in Austria in 1949. As a result of secret
action by the Flemish Militant Order (VMO), he was exhumed from
his original grave at Soldbad Hall and reburied in the MESEN
churchyard at
Alveringem. Since 1987, the mortal remains of eight other Flemish
veterans have been buried around Verschaeve’s last resting place. To
commemorate the Great War Centenary the Chaplain’s House becomes a museum which concentrates on the subject ‘war and peace’
and everyday life behind the front in unoccupied Belgium.
Sint-Rijkersstraat 22
Oeren
See page 114
Hoogstade
See page 114
Behind the front. British soldiers befriend the
children of Poperinge
Behind the front: unoccupied Belgium
98
Observation post
Pervijze
WERVIK
101
4th Division Memorial Koksijde
Veurne, Town Hall
De Panne
L’Océan
On 21 December 1914, the ’Grand Hôtel de L’Océan’ was opened as
a front-line hospital. A number of wooden barracks were also built
around this sea-front hotel, which had no fewer than 16 operating tables and beds for more than 1,800 patients. The ingenuity and organisation of its director, Dr. Antoine Depage - who worked closely with
the Red Cross - soon became legendary. During WWI the Royal Family
was accommodated in De Panne for a long time. Queen Elisabeth - a
Bavarian princess who had married King Albert in 1900 (when he was
still a prince) - was also involved in the found-ation and development of
the hospital. She visited it regularly and sometimes helped to tend the
wounded. Nothing now remains of this once-famous site, but is location
on the promenade is marked by a commemorative plaque. For reasons
of safety, a large part of the hospital was transferred in 1917 to Vinkem, which is now part of the municipality of Beauvoorde, near Veurne.
Zeedijk (Promenade) 70-74 in De Panne
Koksijde
ve - koksijde
© dirk van ho
Zouave Memorial
These crack troops were part of the French Army
of Africa. During the First World War the Zouaves
served in 9 different regiments, which fought at
various locations in Belgium. The Zouave units
which saw action on the IJzer front often came
to Koksijde for rest and recuperation. The camps
known as ’Jeannot’ and Jean-Bart’ stood near
the location of the present day barracks on both
sides of the Robert Vandammestraat. In 2009 the
town of Koksijde celebrated the 75th anniversary
of the inauguration of the Zouave Memorial.
Zoeavenplein (Zouave Square) in Koksijde
4th Division Memorial
Following the fall of Antwerp, the 4th Division
played an important role in the defence of
the IJzer Front. As early as 1916, Corporal
Georges Hendrickx and Private Louis Jacquemotte of the 8th
Line Regiment designed a memorial to commemorate the actions of
their comrades in the 4th Division. The first blocks of marble were
laid during the war and were brought specially from the ruined Cloth
Hall in Ieper. In 1919 the Ministry of War authorised the completion
of this memorial in Wulpen.
Veurnekeiweg in Wulpen, near the Nieuwpoort-Diksmuide Canal
VEURNE
Town Hall
The headquarters of the Belgian Army was located in the town hall
during the crucial Battle of the IJzer. King Albert I also had his command post in the building between 15 October 1914 and 23 January
1915. King George V of England, the French president Poincaré, the
British commander-in-chief Marshall French and the French general Foch all visited him during this period. In October 1914 the poss
ible flooding of the IJzer plain was also discussed here with Karel
Cogge. From the spring of 1915 until 1919 the headquarters of the
army was located in the parsonage at Houtem.
Grote Markt - Info: T. 0032(0)-58 33 55 31 - Entrance fee: € 3 / € 2 pp
1 April - 15 November: daily guided visists - Closed: 21, 28 October &
1, 4 en 12 November
Bust of Karel Cogge
Karel Cogge, (1855-1922) was the superintendent of the Northern
Waterways. He played an important role in the flooding of the
IJzer plain at the end of October 1914. This bust was made by Jules
Lagae.
Noordstraat
Headquarters of the Belgian Army
Houtem
From 23 January 1915 until October 1918, the Belgian Army had
its headquarters in the vicarage next to the church in Houtem. It
was from this building that Lieutenant-General Wielemans conducted operations. It was here that King Albert visited him three or four
times a week, meeting other Allied commanders and decorating soldiers for gallantry. General Wielemans died on 5 January 1917 and
was buried in Houtem cemetery. His grave, with its column of pink
granite, can still be seen today.
Kerkhoek
Joe English
Vinkem
Joe English was born in Bruges in 1882. He is above all
known for his design of the so-called ’fallen hero’ tombstones. This Celtic-style cross, with a seagull or stormy
petrel as emblem and the letters AVV-VVK (’Alles Voor
Vlaanderen, Vlaanderen Voor Kristus’, meaning ’All for
Flanders, Flanders for Christ’) was erected over the graves of many Flemish soldiers. English died on 31 August
1918 in the ’L’Océan 2’ military hospital as a result of a
badly treated appendicitis. A simple stone in Vinkem is
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103
Headquarters of the Belgian Army in Houtem
the only indication of where this hospital once stood. In the summer
of 1917 the original hospital at the Hotel l’Ocean in De Panne was
forced by continuous shellfire to move to a tented village in Vinkem.
Joe Englishstraat
Cachot (Prison Cell)
Wulveringem
Near the old village school it is still possible to see a well-preserved
’cachot’ or prison cell. This simple vaulted room is just 1.80 m high
and 2.10 m wide. It was surrounded with barbed wire and was used
to keep recalcitrant soldiers under lock and key. Here they had to
survive the day on just a chunk of bread and a bowl of water.
Wulveringemstraat 14
Steenkerke
See page 116
French military cemetery
Veurne
See page 122
Lo-Reninge
Visitor centre Destrooper
Biscuit factory Destrooper has a
brand new visitor centre where you
can discover the family history and
the history of the famous biscuits. A
part of the visitor centre is dedicated to the First World War. The son
of founder Jules Destrooper, Jules
Destrooper Junior, was discharged
due to illness and returned to his
hometown Lo. The biscuit factory
was closed due to scarcity and he decided to issue postcards. These postcards showed regional landscapes
and typical war scenes. Soldiers were eager to collect these cards
and used them to write to their families back home. This collection
contained about 150 different postcards. A part of this collection
can be seen in the visitor centre Destrooper.
Gravestraat 5, 8647 Lo
Info: T 058/28 09 33 - [email protected]
Open on weekdays and Saturday from 09.00 to 12.30 and from 13.30
to 17.30 (Fridays to 16.30). Closed on Friday morning, Sunday and public holidays and from 27/02 to 03/03/2012. Last admission one hour
before closing time. Entrance fee: €4 pp, -12 years € 2pp, -6 years free
Poperinge: Talbot House
Poperinge
Poperinge is a charming small town, surrounded by 200 hectares of hop fields. Known universally during the war years as
’Pop’s’, it was the place behind the front where soldiers came
to rest from the trenches. In Undertones of War Edmund
Blunden wrote: ”Poperinge was a fantastic city at that time,
one of the seven wonders of the world - although the other six
were temporarily out of competition!” The town was a haven
of shops, restaurants, hotels, hostels, coffee houses, cinemas,
theatres and dancing halls - all of which were frequently visited by the troops.
Market Square Poperinge 1917
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105
Talbot House: The Upper Room
Talbot House & Concert Hall
Talbot House in Poperinge is one of the most evocative sites from
the Great War era. It was here that two army chaplains, Philip ’Tubby’ Clayton and Neville Talbot, opened a club for soldiers. Named
in honour of Gilbert Talbot, who was killed at Hooge in 1915, it
became known as Toc H after the army signal code used in the war.
More than half a million soldiers visited the club, which was housed
in the mansion of a local hop trader, who had fled the country. It was
a place where everyone was welcome; where military rank did not
count; and where the troops could play the piano or borrow books
(simply by leaving their cap as a deposit!). In short, it was a place
where soldiers could become human again. The authentic interior
has been largely preserved and the unique spirit of the place can
perhaps best be experienced in the chapel - simply called the ’upper
room’ - which has remained untouched since 1918.
The adjoining hop store (better known during the war as the Concert
Hall) and the former bathhouse (referred to as the ’Slessorium’,
after its creator, Major Paul Slessor) were both restored in 2004.
A life-sized ’album’ about ’Life Behind the Front’ and a filmed reenactment of a ’Concert Party’ are now on permanent display. This
allows visitors to experience the true atmosphere of Talbot House
during the war years and shows how soldiers spent their time away
from the trenches. And if you are looking for a really special place
to stay the night, why not try Talbot House? You shouldn’t expect
four-star luxury but the authenticity of this unique setting will more
than make up for any lack of worldly comfort.
Gasthuisstraat - Info: T. 0032(0)-57 33 32 28 - +44 2035 149 826
www.talbothouse.be
Open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10.00 to 17.30. Last admittance at
16.30. Closed between Christmas and New Year. - Entrance fee: € 8
Talbot house and garden
Talbot House
Philip Thomas Byard Clayton
Better known as ’Tubby’ (because
of his size and shape), the Reverend Philip Clayton will forever
be associated with Talbot House.
He was born in Queensland
(Australia) in 1885 but returned
to England with his parents just
two years later. After studying
theology at Oxford, he went to
France in 1915 as an army chaplain. In December of the same
year, he opened Talbot House,
together with his friend Neville
Talbot. It was located in the
18th century mansion of Maurice Coevoet, a rich banker and
hop merchant.
The ’Upper Room’ (as it was later known) has scarcely changed
since 1915. Aided by his batman Arthur Pettifer, who was a master
’scrounger’, Tubby made sure that the troops lacked for nothing. He
was even able to start a library. His sense of humour made him
extremely popular and Talbot House was soon known and loved
throughout the British Army.
After the war, Tubby Clayton returned
to London, where he opened a second
Talbot House in 1920. In 1922 he became vicar of All-Hallows-by-the-Tower Church, where he remained until
1962. For the last ten years of his
life he devoted himself to the work
of the Toc H movement - a worldwide charitable organisation which
had grown from the original Talbot
House idea. He died in 1972 at the
age of 87. In a rare tribute, BBC
radio and television held a minute’s
silence in honour of his memory.
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107
Death cell
Reningelst during the war
Condemned - or death - cells
The authentic execution pole, located in the inner courtyard of the
town hall, is a painful reminder of the fate which awaited many socalled ’deserters’ during the Great War. Most of these frightened men
were suffering from ’shell shock’ - a psychological condition which
was largely unrecognised at the time. Soldiers, who were sometimes
bombarded for days on end, became near senseless and simply did
not know what they were doing, abandoning their trenches without
apparent reason. Instead of receiving compassion and understanding,
a terrifying example was made of them. Often, they were executed
by men from their own regiment. The British army shot or hanged
349 of its own troops between 1914 and 1918. Most were convicted
after ’trials’ lasting less than 20 minutes. In Great Britain a movement has now succeeded in obtaining pardons and rehabilitation for
almost all of these soldiers. The condemned men spent their last night
in the death cell before being shot at dawn (www.shotatdawn.info).
Seventeen of those executed in Poperinge were buried at Poperinghe
New Military Cemetery, just a stone’s throw from the city centre. A
complete new set up with a direct link between the cells and the pole
and with multimedia info will make this site more accessible.
Stadhuis - Guido Gezellestraat - Info: T. 0032(0)-57 34 66 76
www.toerismepoperinge.be - Daily free access from 09.00 to 17.00.
Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery
See page 119
Vleteren
Westvleteren
See page 116
Searching for the fallen
It is possible to search for soldiers killed in
action by nationality.
nFor Great Britain and the Commonwealth,
please go to www.cwgc.org
nEnquiries relating to German dead can be
answered at www.volksbund.de
nA database, including a search engine,
for Belgian casualties is available at
www.inflandersfields.be
nInformation on French soldiers who died in the Westhoek can
also be found on this same site.
During the war, the station in Poperinge
a focal point for the transportation of
troops to and from the front
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NIEUWPOORT-BAD
108
109
DE PANNE
VEURNE
DIKSMUIDE
ALVERINGEM
Behind the front:
the occupied territory
HOUTHULST
Middelkerke
Behind the front: the occupied territory
NIEUWPOORT
Leffinge
German mausoleum
LANGEMARK
POELKAPELLE
This mausoleum in the cemetery on the Dorpstraat in Leffinge
(near
Middelkerke) was built by German soldiers in 1915 to a design by
Hauptman (Captain) Löwenstein. During the war years some 1,700
ZONNEBEKE
of their fallen comrades were buried here. In 1958 their remains
were transferred to the Soldatenfriedhof in Vladslo and the Leffinge
site was converted
local commuPOPERINGE into a civilian cemetery for the
IEPER
nity. In 2002, the mausoleum - which is a rare example of nonmilitary war architecture - was granted the status of a protected
monument.
Dorpsstraat in Leffinge (Middelkerke)
HEUVELLAND
Ostend (Oostende)
The lively port and seaside resort of Ostend remained in German
MESEN
hands throughout the Great War. The Vindictive Monument
commemorates a daring British naval attack which blocked the port
in 1918.
Raversijde Domain
The Atlantic Wall Museum at Raversijde (just outside Ostend) boasts
an impressive collection of German bunkers and coastal defences
from the First and the Second World War.
Nieuwpoortsesteenweg 636 - Info: T. 0032(0)-59 70 22 85
Open from 1 April to 11 November, from 14.00 to 17.00.
From 1 July to 31 August, from 10.30 to 18.30. Entrance fee: € 9
German cavalry in Menin
(Photo: Eric Debeir - Menin)
British prisoners of war
on the Market square in Menin
WERVIK
111
Long Max
Wervik
Koekelare
The Käthe Kollwitz Tower
In the drying kiln of a renovated brewery in the village of Koekelare,
graphic works of art by Käthe Kollwitz are on permanent display in
the Käthe Kollwitz Tower. This exceptional
woman (a native of Berlin) is considered
to be one of Germany’s most important
Expressionist artists. Her best-known
work of sculpture - the ’Grieving Parents’
is to be found in the German cemetery at
Vladslo, where her son Peter is buried.
Old brewery site - Sint-Maartensplein 15b
Info: T. 0032(0)-51 58 92 01
www. koekelare.be
Open from Tuesday to Friday, from 09.30
to 12.00 and from 14.00 to 17.00. From
15 June to 31 August, also Saturdays,
Sundays and public holidays from 14.00
to 17.00. Entrance fee € 2.50 (including
the entrance to the museum next door)
’Lange Max’ (Long Max)
This huge 38 cm cannon was mounted near the ’Leugenboom’ (Liar's
Tree) in the village of Koekelare.
It weighed 75,500 kilograms, had
a 17 metre-long barrel and could
fire a shell over a distance of 40
itz Tower
kilometres. The cannon was part
Käthe Kollw
of the Pommern Battery, which
belonged to the German Marine Corps - Flanders. Amongst
its many targets was the harbour at Dunkirk. After the Armistice in
1918, ’Lange Max’ was something of an
attraction in the Koekelare region, until the
Germans dismantled it in 1940 during
the Second World War. The Lange
Max committee intends to restore
the firing site in the Clevenstraat. At
the moment, it is possible to view
the original gun platform and
to visit a small museum.
Clevenstraat 4
Open from Easter to 30
September on Sundays,
from 14.00 to 18.00.
Info: T. 0032(0)497 33 58 35.
Entrance fee: € 3
Staden
During the early months of the war the small town of Staden and
its neighbouring village of Westrozebeke were almost completely
destroyed, although nearby Oostnieuwkerke was partially spared. In
1917 the castle in Staden was demolished by a British bombardment. It was never rebuilt.
Monument to Lt. Juul De Winde
Westrozebeke
Born in Merkem in 1893, he was drafted into the Belgian Army in
1913. He was prompted to the rank of lieutenant in 1917 - which was
something of an exception for a soldier with clear Flemish nationalist
sympathies. He was killed during the attack on Westrozebeke on 28
September 1918. In 1937 his remains were transferred to the crypt of
the Ijzer Tower in Diksmuide. The monument in the Poelkapellestraat
in Westrozebeke was unveiled in 1938. It was designed by Karel
Aubroeck, the designer of the King Albert Monument in Nieuwpoort.
This is perhaps most clearly seen in the use of yellow Nieuwpoort brick.
Crossroad Poelkapellestraat - Hyndryckxbosstraat in Westrozebeke
Wervik
For the four years of the war, the town of Wervik almost became a
German ’colony’. Curiously enough, this occupation also led to a kind
of ’reunification’: for the duration of hostilities, the old distinction
between Wervicq Sud (on the French side of the River Leie) and Wervik (on the Belgian side of the Leie) ceased to exist. As one of the nearest towns behind the German lines, Wervik was the scene of frenetic
military activity. Many German troops were quartered there. Different
units arrived and departed almost every day. Prisoners of war passed
through on a regular basis, as did military convoys. There were dumps
of every kind, almost too numerous to mention. Inevitably, there were
William Leggett
William Leggett was born in Australia in 1891. When he was 21
years old he left for England and joined the King’s
Life Guards. William was elevated to Corporal of the
1st Life Guards. At the beginning of World War 1 he
arrived in Geluwe. On 14 October 1914, five days before the First Battle of Ypres, he was killed during a
brief skirmish with German troops. Corporal William
Leggett is believed to be the first Australian who fell
in WW1. He was buried in Geluwe but later transferred to New British Cemetery in Harelbeke. Next to the
church of Geluwe, a plaque and work of art commemorates William Leggett.
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German military cemetery (Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof) in Wervicq-Sud
also cemeteries: funeral processions and mass burials were frequent
occurrences. In his letters home, the German artist Max Beckmann
described the almost surrealistic life of German troops stationed in
Wervik in 1915. Not that things were much better for the local inhabitants, who faced all the dangers of war but who were also subject
to strict German rules, with heavy fines for any infringements. The civilian population was finally evacuated in the summer of 1917, when
the plans for a major Allied offensive against this sector of the front
became clear.
Memorial plaque to John Eden
Kruiseke
During the first clashes between British and German forward units
near the hamlet of Kruiseke in October 1914, one of the casualties
was Lieutenant John Eden of the 12th Lancers. He was the brother
of Anthony Eden, who later became prime minister of Great Britain.
A memorial plaque to Lieutenant Eden is bricked into the wall of
the Sacred Heart Church. The hamlet is also the starting point for
the Kruiseke provincial walking route, which leads visitors across
the rolling terrain over which the opening actions of the First Battle
of Ypres were fought.
The ’French Hill’ in Wervicq-Sud (France)
During the period of German occupation between 1914 and 1918, the
towns of Wervik (in Belgium) and Wervicq-Sud (in France)
were temporarily reunited, to form a single community
(as had often been the case in the past). This community was largely German and largely military.
Evidence of this occupation can still be found
at the so-called French Hill in Wervicq-Sud.
The ’Wit Kasteel’ (White Chateau) in the
grounds of the Dalle-Dumont
park served as a field hospital for much of the war, and
German military cemetery, Hooglede
there are still the remains of military shelters and a memorial to the
XVth Army Corps dating from 1915. There is also a German military cemetery (Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof) in Wervicq-Sud, which
was transferred from its original location in the Dalle-Dumont park
and was extended by the concentration of graves from elsewhere
in 1974.
hooglede
Hooglede and Gits did not emerge unscathed from the First World
War. For both villages, the German occupation was a period of relative
calm. Even so, they were still in the ’Etappengebiet’ (Reserve Zone)
and therefore close to the front. Many wounded soldiers were brought
here for medical care. Some of them never recovered and are now
buried in the Soldatenfriedhof (military cemetery). During the Liberation Offensive in September 1918, both villages were badly damaged.
War museum
The museum focuses its attention largely on local history during
the First and Second World Wars.
Marktplaats 24 - 8830 Hooglede
Free admittance. Guided tour available on request.
Info: T. 0032(0)-51 20 30 30 - www.hooglede.be
Hooglede
See page 124
Menin (Menen)
During the First World War, Menin was occupied by the German
Army from October 1914 until October 1918. The town was just
a stone’s throw behind the fighting zone and became a supply centre for the German front-line troops. It was equipped with field
kitchens, bakeries, supply depots, ammunition depots, wagon parks
and even airfields.
Menin also contained a number of field hospitals to care for the
growing numbers of wounded. Wounded prisoners-of-war were
also treated here. Until 1917, the soldiers who died of their
wounds were buried in the civil cemetery (behind the station).
However, as a result of the huge casualties during the Third Battle of Ypres a new purpose-built cemetery was begun in the fields
near the boundary between Menen and the neighbouring village of
Wevelgem. By the end of the war, the ’Ehrenfriedhof Meenen Wald
N° 62’ contained more than 6.000 German burials.
Menen-Wevelgem
See page 124
German soldiers in
their shelter
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115
Belgian cemetery in Houthulst
Ijzer crypt in Diksmuide
Belgian
Diksmuide
military cemeteries
Alveringem
Oeren
510 Belgian soldiers lie buried around the church in Oeren, many
of whom are unknown. In 1923 the village was the setting for the
fourth Ijzer Pilgrimage.
Oerenstraat
Hoogstade
The Belgian military cemetery at Hoogstade contains 825 graves,
of which 35 are unknown. 20 British soldiers are also buried here.
Since 2004 it has been possible to ’adopt’ the grave of a Belgian
soldier. This was an idea of Rik Scherpenberg from Tongeren, who
was also founder of the War Relics Archive.
Brouwerijstraat
De Panne
The military cemetery is situated alongside the civil cemetery in
De Panne. In total the site contains 3,748 graves, of which 3,152
are Belgian war casualties. De Panne is therefore the largest of all
Belgian military cemeteries. It was begun by fighting units during
the First World War. Later, graves from a number of smaller burial
sites in the Westhoek were transferred here. Nearby, there is also
a British military plot which contains 282 graves from the Second
World War.
Kerkstraat in De Panne
Adinkerke
This cemetery behind the church contains the graves of 1,658 Belgian, 67 British and 2 French soldiers, who all died during the First
World War. The cemetery was constructed in 1925 and contains six
Flemish ’fallen hero’ crosses designed by Joe English.
Heldenweg in Adinkerke
Keiem
This cemetery is the last resting place of 628 soldiers from the 8th
and 13th Line Regiments of the Belgian Army. During the Battle of
the Ijzer (October 1914) an attempt to capture the village of Keiem
was repulsed with heavy losses. Many were killed during the confusion
of the subsequent retreat to the hamlet of Tervaete, on the other side
of the River Ijzer.
Keiemdorpstraat 143A
Edward and Frans Van Raemdonck
More commonly referred to as
the Van Raemdonck Brothers,
Edward and Frans came to be
seen as a Flemish symbol for
sacrifice and brotherly love.
Tragic as their deaths were,
their story was later romanticised in the interest of the Flemish cause - and was immortalised in a moving drawing by the artist Joe English. The brothers
were born in Temse - Edward in 1895 and Frans in 1897 - and both
were sergeants in the 24th Line Regiment. Tradition claims that they
died in each other’s arms in No Man’s Land, following an attack on
the Stampkot position near Steenstraete in March 1917. We will
never know exactly what happened on that fateful night, but it seems
that Frans was wounded on his way back to the Belgian trenches.
A French-speaking comrade, Aimé Fiévez, went to his aid, but both
were killed by a German shell. When Edward discovered that this brother had not returned, he went back out
into No Man’s Land to look for him,
but was mown down by machine gun
fire, just yards from where Frans and
Fiévez were lying. During subsequent
bombardments, the bodies were disturbed, so that Edward and Frans were
found side by side, when their remains
were eventually recovered after the war.
In 1932, the brothers - together with
Aimé Fiévez - were interred in a single
coffin in the crypt of the Ijzer Tower in
Diksmuide. A year later a memorial was
built over the spot near Steenstraete
where their bodies had been discovered.
Drawing by Joe English of
the brothers Van Raemdonck
Belgian military cemeteries
Belgian miltary cemeteries
114
117
’If I should die, think only this of me:
That there’s some corner of a foreign field
That is forever England.’
From ’Th e Soldier’ by Rupert Brooke
Belgian cemetery in Steenkerke
Houthulst
The most well-known Belgian military cemetery is located in the
heart of Houthulst forest and contains the graves of 1,855 soldiers,
most of whom were killed during the so-called Liberation Offensive
of September-October 1918. 81 Italian soldiers are also buried here.
Italian prisoners of war were used by the Germans for work behind
the front, especially in the region Roeselare-Izegem. Most of those
who died fell victim to illness or disease. Their remains were later
transferred to Houthulst, where they now lay along the forest’s edge
in this star-shaped cemetery.
Poelkapellestraat
Nieuwpoort
Ramskapelle
This concentration cemetery contains the graves of 634 Belgian soldiers, 400 of whom are unidentified. Most of these men were killed
during the Battle of the Ijzer in October 1914.
Commonwealth
military cemeteries
Between 1914 and 1918, the fertile fields around the city of
Ypres were the setting for one of the most frightful wars the
world has ever known. Soldiers from more than 50 nations
fought and died here. Time has inevitably erased many traces of
the Great War, but the many military cemeteries and memorials
which dot the landscape still speak to our imagination and say
much about the terrible nature of the ’war to end all wars’.
Commonwealth war cemeteries which contain more than 40
graves each have a Cross of Sacrifice. Cemeteries with more
than 1,000 graves also have a Stone of Remembrance, which
bears the inscription: ’Their Name Liveth For Evermore’ - a
text chosen from the Bible by Rudyard Kipling.
Ramskapellestraat in Ramskapelle
Veurne
Steenkerke
Some 500 Belgian soldiers are buried behind the
St. Laurentius Church in Steenstrate. Joe
English was the first casualty to be buried
here, but his remains were later transferred to
the crypt of the Ijzer Tower. He died from his
wounds in the military hospital at Vinkem, where
a street was named after him. A small monument
was also erected in the same village in honour of
this well-known Flemish soldier, a leading figure
in the so-called Front Movement.
Behind the St. Laurentius Church
Vleteren
Westvleteren
1,208 soldiers found their last resting-place
in the Belgian military cemetery in the village of Westvleteren.
Sint-Maartensstraat
Monument in commemoration of adjutant
A.V. Van Eecke, Iepersteenweg 53 in
Merkem (Houthulst)
Commonwealth military cemeteries
Belgian miltary cemeteries
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Queen Elisabeth II and Queen Paola in 2007
De Panne
Adinkerke Military Cemetery
168 British casualties from the First World War are buried at this
site. A further 197 graves were added during and after the Second
World War.
Kromfortstraat in Adinkerke
Koksijde
Coxyde Military Cemetery
This British military cemetery occupies a unique location in the sand
dunes. The site was originally opened by French troops in 1917 and
now contains 1,507 Commonwealth graves from the First World
War. The cemetery was also used during the Second World War,
when a further 155 burials were added (mainly from the Dunkirk
campaign in May 1940).
R. Vandammestraat in Koksijde village
Zonnebeke
Passendale
Tyne Cot Cemetery and visitors centre
The name Passendale is indelibly etched on the collective consciousness of Great Britain and her Commonwealth. During the Third Battle
of Ypres (1917) the British Army lost nearly 300,000 men to capture
this ruined village and a few kilometres of shell-blasted mud. The British called the village ’Passion Dale’ - the Valley of Suffering. The
cost in human life to achieve this ’victory’ is all too evident in Tyne
Cot Cemetery, the largest British war cemetery on mainland Europe.
Originally, ’Tyne Cot’ was a strong point in the German Flandern
I Line. Australian troops set up an aid post in one of its bunkers,
following its capture in October 1917. A cemetery of 340 graves quickly grew up a round this bunker - men who had died in
the aid post or nearby. Between 1919 and 1921 specialised
Exhumation Companies brought in many thousands of bodies from the surrounding battlefields. Only 3,800
of the victims could be identified by name.
The cemetery - which also contains a
memorial to the missing - was designed by Sir
Herbert Baker and was inaugurated in 1927.
11,956 soldiers of the Commonwealth
are buried here, together with a number of
German prisoners of war who died in Allied
hands. The screen wall at the back of the cemetery commemorates a further 34,957 mis-
Tyne Cot Cemetery
sing soldiers, who died after 15 August 1917. The more than 55,000
missing who died before this date are honoured by name on the Menin
Gate Memorial in Ieper (this memorial, designed during the war, was
intended to commemorate all the missing, but simply proved to be too
small to take the terrible number of names).
The uniform headstones are made of white Portland stone, as are the
impressive Cross of Sacrifice, with its bronze sword, and the altar-like
Stone of Remembrance. At the specific request of King George V, the
Cross of Sacrifice was constructed above a German bunker captured
on 4 October 1917, which later served as an aid post (see above).
On 12 July 2007 a whole new infrastructure for visitors was opened
by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and Queen Paola of Belgium.
The modern visitors centre looks out over the old battlefields and contains much information about the terrible fighting which took place
here. There is also a large parking area with sanitary facilities behind
the cemetery. The cemetery is linked to the Memorial Museum ’Passchendaele 1917’ by a 3 kilometre-long walking and cycling route.
This route is also known as ’The Road to Passchendaele’.
Tyne Cot Cemetery - Tynecotstraat
The Visitors Centre is open daily from 1 February to 30 November,
from 10.00 to 18.00.
Poperinge
The soberly beautiful Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery is the largest
of the hospital cemeteries which grew up around the casualty clearing stations to the east and west of Poperinge. Soldiers devised
amusing names for these CCSs, which sounded curiously Flemish,
but still had a grim meaning: Mendinghem, Dozinghem and Bandaghem. Lijssenthoek was also popularly known as Remi Cemetery,
from the name of the farmer who lived behind the clearing station’s
complex of tents. This farm can still be seen today. Members of the
Chinese Labour Corps were also buried at Lijssenthoek.
The cemetery now contains a total of
9,904 Commonwealth war
dead (including the Chinese) and 884 graves of other
nationalities (mainly German and French). A fully
equipped visitor’s centre will
increase the experience of a
compulsory stop at this remarkable site as of September 21st 2012.
Boescheepseweg
www.lijssenthoek.be
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Komen-Waasten - Ploegsteert
(Province Hainaut)
Ploegsteert Memorial
Just over the provincial (and linguistic) border, not far from Messines, lies the burial ground known as Berks Cemetery Extension. The
most striking feature of this cemetery is the memorial to more than
11,000 missing soldiers from Great Britain and South Africa, who
died as a result of ’routine’ trench warfare or in one of the minor operations designed to support major offensives elsewhere. On the first
Friday of every month the Last Post is sounded here at 1900 hours.
Rue de Messines
BLOOD RED IS THE BLOOM OF THE POPPY...
”In Flanders fields the poppies blow,
between the crosses,
row on row that mark our place”,
John McCrae in 1915.
Countless other British cemeteries
of various sizes
Apart from the imposing cemeteries at Tyne Cot and Lijssenthoek,
there are more than 170 smaller and more intimate Commonwealth
cemeteries scattered across the landscape of the Westhoek.
The Scots have their own cemetery (No Man’s Cot on Pilkem Ridge),
as do the Welsh (Caesar’s Nose Cemetery, also on Pilkem Ridge) and
the Irish (Locre Hospice Cemetery, near Loker in Heuvelland).
Near to Locre Hospice Cemetery, in what was once the garden of
a convent, stands the grave of Major William Redmond. He was an
important Catholic political leader before the war and helped to
force the British government to pass a bill granting Home Rule for
Ireland. To ensure that the bill would be honoured after the war, he
encouraged many Catholics to join the British army (where they
served in the 16th Irish Division). Redmond was bitterly disappointed
by the Easter Rising of 1916 and its harsh suppression. He was
killed on 7 June 1917, the opening day of the Battle of Messines
Ridge: a battle in which, appropriately enough, Irish Catholics and
Protestants fought side by side.
In Buttes New British Cemetery in Polygon Wood, a memorial to
the 5th Australian Division now stands astride what was once a
pre-war rifle range of the Belgian army. At the opposite side of
the cemetery, there is a memorial to missing soldiers from New
Zealand, who died here in the winter of 1917-1918.
No Man’s Cot - Moortelweg in Boezinge (Ieper)
Caesar's Nose - Moortelweg in Boezinge
Locre Hospice Cemetery - Godtschalckstraat in Loker (Heuvelland)
Buttes New British Cemetery - Lange Dreve in Zonnebeke
The red poppy was destined to become a symbol for the
inhuman suffering and loss caused by the war. Even 90
years later, traces of this war are still to be found in the
landscape.
The Bomb Disposal Unit of the Belgian Army, based
at Houthulst, still detonates old munitions from the war
twice each day. Shells are regularly brought to the surface, as a result of farming or building works. Each year
in the Westhoek more than 200 tons of old munitions are
collected, 10% of which contain chemical weapons.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Imperial War Graves Commission was founded in 1917 and is
responsible for the maintenance of graves and memorials in some
150 countries, from Albania to Zimbabwe. The Commission commemorates more than 1,700,000 members of the Commonwealth
forces who died in the two world wars and who now lie buried in
more than 23,000 cemeteries world-wide. In 1960 the organisation
changed its name in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The regional headquarters for Northern Europe is located in Ieper
at Elverdingsestraat 82. - T. 0032(0)-57 22 36 36
([email protected] - www.cwgc.org)
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123
The ’angel’ on Kemmel Hill
’Tod mit Eichenlaub’
French
military cemeteries
YPRES (Ieper)
Saint-Charles de Potyze
More than 4,000 French soldiers are buried in Saint-Charles de
Potyze Cemetery near Ieper (on the road to Zonnebeke). A further
600 unknown soldiers were interred in a mass grave. A Breton Pieta
by the sculptor J. Fréour is located at the front of the site, mourning
over the lost dead.
Zonnebeekseweg
Heuvelland
French ossuary
Kemmel
This mass grave at the foot of Kemmel Hill contains the remains of
5,294 French soldiers, of whom just 57 are identified. Most of these
men died during the battle for Kemmel Hill in April 1918. Higher up the
slopes of the same hill stands the ’Monument aux Soldats Français’, also
known as ’The Angel’.This 18 metre-high memorial column was erected
in 1932 and looks out wistfully over the battlefield where so many died.
Kemmelbergweg
Koksijde
French military plot of honour
The French plot of honour contains the graves of marines from the
Grossetti Division, which was part of the marine brigade commanded by
Vice-Admiral Prince Alexis Ronar’ch.These troops - most of whom were
Bretons - died in defence of the sector around Nieuwpoort. There are
123 burials from the First World War and a further 11 from the Second
World War. Seven of the headstones commemorate Muslim casualties.
German
military cemeteries
In total, 134,000 German soldiers from the First World War
are buried in Belgium. In 1954, hundreds of smaller German
cemeteries in Flanders were concentrated into four major
sites. There are still a dozen or so smaller burial grounds in the
French-speaking part of Belgium.
In contrast to the British cemeteries, the German cemeteries appear
to be very sombre. The British deliberately tried to make their
cemeteries look like traditional English gardens, full of the flowers
of spring and autumn. It is almost as if the British have accepted
death and the cemetery has become a small part of England or a
little piece of heaven on earth. This ’acceptance’ is lacking in German cemeteries, where death in all its monstrous forms still lingers
between the massive oaks. The basalt crosses are scars on ’God’s
green acre’. In autumn, dead leaves fall from the giant trees, covering the thousands of fallen soldiers. ”Tod... mit Eichenlaub”.
Langemark
This sombreness is very much in evidence at the German military
cemetery - Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof - in Langemark. However,
its powerful simplicity lends a poignant air to this haunting burial
ground. Behind the monumental entrance building in pink Weserberg
sandstone lie 44,304 soldiers, 24,917 of them in a mass grave. Over
3,000 cadets and student volunteers, serving in the 22nd - 27th
Reserve Corps, are amongst the dead. They were killed in October
1914 during futile attempts to break through in the direction of
Ypres. For this reason, the cemetery is also known as the Studentenfriedhof.The sculpture of four bronze soldiers by the Munich sculptor
Emil Krieger seem to reflect the sorrow of these bleak statistics.
Klerkenstraat
Cemetery in Koksijde village
Veurne
French Military Cemetery and ossuary
This cemetery contains the mass grave - or ossuary - of 78 French
soldiers. A further 186 French casualties are buried in individual
graves, including 8 soldiers of the Muslim faith.
Oude Vestingstraat
Langemark, sculpture
by Emil Krieger
German military cemeteries
French military cemeteries
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125
Memories
German military cemeteries
124
Vladslo
Poppies in the Westhoek: the Flanders Fields Country
Diksmuide
Vladslo
The German military cemetery at Vladslo is the last resting place
of Peter Kollwitz, a young student volunteer who was just 17 years
of age when he was killed in October 1914. Deeply affected by her
son’s death, Käthe Kollwitz created her world-famous sculpture ’The
Grieving Parents’. The sculpture was many years in the making and
was only displayed for the first time in 1932 at the Roggeveld military cemetery near Esen. The grave marker in front of the sculpture
group, bore the following inscription: ’Peter Kollwitz Musketier +
23.10.14’. This cemetery - and the statue group - were moved to
their current site at the Praetbos near Vladslo in 1957. 25,638 German soldiers are buried here. Käthe Kollwitz was a famous Expressionist artist from Berlin. Her work was considered to be an example
of Entartete Kunst (perverted art) by the Nazis and was removed
from most museums and public buildings. Her grandson Peter was
killed on the Eastern Front in 1942. Surprisingly, the sculpture survived the Nazi occupation of Belgium during Second World War.
Houtlandstraat 3, 8600 Vladslo (Diksmuide)
Hooglede
Hooglede German Military Cemetery is located some 6 km from the
town of Roeselare. It is the smallest of the four German ’concentration’ cemeteries and contains 8,247 burials. The cemetery was first
created in 1917. The ’Ehrenhalle’ (Hall of Honour) was later built
with stones from the German pavilion at the 1928 World Exhibition
in Paris. On fine days, the panorama of the surrounding countryside
is impressive.
Beverenstraat - 8830 Hooglede
Menen-Wevelgem
Memories
Poetry
In addition to the large cemeteries and memorials, there are numerous other, smaller (and perhaps more intimate) reminders of the
Great War in the Westhoek. Several poems by Edmund Blunden
are displayed on panels at various locations. There are also monuments for Indian soldiers and for poets, such as Francis Ledwidge
and Hedd Wynn. There is also a poem by the Belgian poet Herman
Deconinck at the Menin Gate.
Name stones
At various places, diamond-shaped commemorative plaques in white
stone mark ’Belgian’ locations, which were of importance during
the First World War and of which nothing remains today. These 24
name stones were erected during the 1980s at the instigation of the
Province of West Flanders.
Demarcation stones
Granite demarcation stones can also be seen at various locations
throughout the Westhoek. First erected during the 1920s at the
initiative of the Touring Club of Belgium, these one metre-high stones
are usually crowned with a military-style-helmet and bear the inscription (in three languages): ”Here the invader was brought to
a halt”. During the Second World War this inscription was often
defaced by the Germans. Nineteen of these stones still remain in the
Westhoek, often to be found at the corner of a street and sometimes
on the edge of a field.
The German military cemetery at Menen-Wevelgem (also in the Leie
region) is the largest German war cemetery in Western Europe, commemorating no fewer than 47,864 fallen soldiers. In the centre of the
burial plots stands a chapel, decorated with sombre grey mosaics.The
interior has an arched vault with a central supporting column, resting
on a Greek cross decorated with carved lion’s heads in stone.
Menen - Groenestraat - Wevelgem - Kruisstraat
Karl and Käthe
Kollwitz at the
’Roggeveld’
cemetery in Esen
for the placing
of the statues in
1932
Name stone
Demarcation
stone
127
Tourist routes 14-18
the ’Pannendorp’ site
Landscape art projects
As part of a land consolidation scheme in Fortem and Pervijze, various
landscape art projects have been integrated into the natural
surroundings at these locations, where the last traces of the First
World War are threatening to disappear.
Alveringem - Fortem
At the ’Pannendorp’ site - a design by Stijn Claikens - the brightly
coloured stone walls in brick represent the Belgian and German
front lines in the Westhoek.
Diksmuide - Pervijze
Along the old railway line between Diksmuide and Nieuwpoort which served as the Belgian front line for much of the war - the artist
Lucas Coeman has used 104 identical concrete blocks to depict the
dates on which the war was started and ended.
Provincial parks
Several parks in provincial ownership, such as the ’Palingbeek’ (Eel
Brook Woods) and the ’Gasthuisbossen’ (Hospice Woods) near Ieper
(Zillebeke) and Kemmel Hill in Heuvelland also contain traces from
the Great War. Between 1914 and 1918, the land around the ’Palingbeek’ formed part of the front line. The highest point in this area was
known by the British as ’The Bluff’, whereas the Germans called it
’Die grosse Bastion’. The ’Zwarte Molenbos’ (Black Mill Woods) was
renamed ’The Ravine’, the ’Vierlingen’ Forest became ’Battle Wood’,
while the long, low hill around which it stood was christened ’The
Caterpillar’. The six British cemeteries in this neighbourhood testify
to the severity of the fighting which took place here.
The ’Palingbeek’ provincial park is close to the Hill 60 battlefield site.
Hill 60 still retains its original wartime landscape, with clear traces of
old trenches, mine craters, shell holes, concrete pillboxes, etc. A number of memorials recall the savage struggle for control of this strategic position. In particular, Hill 60 and its surroundings are notorious
for their important role in the underground mining war - a war which
claimed countless lives. This subterranean battle reached
its climax on 7 June 1917 with the
opening of the Messines
Hill 60 in
Offensive, when 19 mines
the 1920
s
were exploded simultaneously under German
trenches in the Ypres and
Wijtschate salients. The
mine craters at Hill 60 and
on the Caterpillar still scar
the landscape, even today.
Six new tourist routes by car on the theme WW1 will be developed as a result of The Great War Centenary. Those routes will
highlight different perspectives. The first route ’Ypres Salient’
will be launched this autumn. The other tourist routes will open
in 2013 and 2014. The present ’In Flanders Fields’ route will
remain until autumn 2012. The present ’IJzer front’ route will
disappear in 2013.
The ’In Flanders Fields’ route
(82 km)
The In Flanders Fields route, which begins and ends in Ieper, is
an ideal way to reconnoitre the Salient for the first time. You will
become acquainted with the most important cemeteries and monuments in the southern part of the Westhoek.
Essex Farm in Boezinge, the German military cemetery at Langemark, the Guynemer Memorial in Poelkapelle, the Canadian Memorial in Sint-Juliaan, Tyne Cot, Hill 62, Mesen, Kemmel Hill, Poperinge: all these key war sites are included. The route also offers you
a pleasing introduction to the nature and landscape of the region:
Heuvelland, in particular, will charm you with its gentle contours
and beautiful panoramic views.
The IJzer Front route
(79 km)
The IJzer Front route leads you through the polder landscape
between Nieuwpoort, Koekelare, Kortemark, Houthulst and Diksmuide. The route starts in Diksmuide, famous for the IJzer Tower,
the Peace Gate and the Trench of Death. Via Stuivekenskerke and
Ramskapelle, you will drive to the King Albert I Monument in
Nieuwpoort. Other highlights along the route are the Belgian military cemeteries at Keiem and Houthulst, the Käthe Kollwitz Tower
in Koekelare and the German military cemetery at Vladslo.
Memories
126
129
Lone Tree Cemetery
Bike
Thematic cycle route: ’No More War’
The Peace Route
(45 km)
The Peace Route is a bicycle route which offers an ideal introduction to the Ypres Salient. It starts in Ieper and first leads to the
’Palingbeek’ provincial park, Hill 60 and Hill 62 - three locations of
great strategic significance for the armies of both sides.
The route continues through pleasant countryside and passes a number of impressive military burial sites, including Tyne Cot Cemetery in
Passendale, the German Soldatenfriedhof in Langemark and Essex
Farm near Boezinge.
Thematic cycle route: ’POProute’
(34 km)
The POProute is a thematic journey through the daily life of the
soldiers behind the front. The town of Poperinge was a key cog in the
British war machine. The local population conducted a prosperous
trade with the well-paid British soldiers. For these soldiers, this was
a place of carefree enjoyment away from the trenches but also a
place of military justice and law. So-called ’deserters’ were often
executed here by firing squad at first light of dawn.
Pressure of military traffic forced the British to introduce a oneway system in the town and they also built a ring road. This ’Switch
Road’ still exists today. During the war (and afterwards) it was often
referred to by local inhabitants as the ’Swiss Road’, since they had
trouble coping with the Anglo-Saxon pronunciation!
(37.5 km)
Using the numbered junction points of the Westhoek cycling network, this route will lead visitors on a themed tour around the First
World War battlefields of Diksmuide. The cycle-friendly roads and
pathways pass various historic sites, such as Diksmuide town centre, the IJzer Tower, the Trench of Death, Onze-Lieve-Vrouwhoekje
(Our Lady’s Corner), the River IJzer and the military cemeteries at
Keiem and Vladslo.
Thematic cycle route: ’Mine Warfare:
Messines Ridge 1917’
(28.6 km)
This thematic route allows the visitor to make acquaintance with
the scars on the landscape caused by this cataclysmic battle. On 7
June 1917 the Allies exploded 19 ’deep’ mines under the German
lines. The route starts at Hill 60 and runs south towards Wijtschate
and Messines, before returning to Zillebeke.
Thematic cycle route:
’The Ypres Salient’
(35 km)
Using the numbered junction points of the Westhoek cycling network, this route will lead visitors on a themed tour around the First
World War battlefields of Ypres (Ieper) and its famous Salient. A
route map and explanation can be obtained from the Tourist Office
in Ieper.
Park,
Irish Peace
Messines
An Allied camp in Loker
128
131
130
Diksmuide
Walking
Craters and Mines
walking route
(7 or 9 km)
This walking route starts in Wijtschate (Heuvelland) and is 7 or
9 kilometres long, depending upon the circuit followed. The route
links a German mine shaft, the crater at the ’Petit Bois’ and the
crater at ’Peckham’ (with the Pool of Peace). These sites are mainly
associated with the great mine offensive against the Messines Ridge
in 1917.
Messines Ridge Peace Path
(3.5 km)
The Messines Ridge Peace Path leads past the most important
First World War sites in and around the town of Messines (Mesen).
A brochure for this themed walk can be obtained at the local Tourist
Office.
From ’The Bluff’ to ’die grosse Bastion’
(10, 7.5 or 4.3 km)
This route charts the history of the ’Palingbeek’ provincial park
during the First World War. An unsignposted theme walk in the series
’Folklore and History Along the Way’.
Albert Baert and Poperinge in WWI
’We imagined that we were in Paris’
(6.2 km)
An unsignposted theme walk in the series ’Folklore
and History Along the Way’. Extracts from the diary of Albert Baert are interspersed with songs
and music of the period (using an MP3 player
obtained from Talbot House in Poperinge). A treasure hunt for children is linked to this route.
The Battle of Mount Kemmel 1918
(10 or 5 km)
A signposted theme walk following the Heuvelland junction network, in the series ’Folklore and History Along the Way’. The route
follows the footsteps of the French Army between the villages of
Kemmel and Loker.
The brochures for these routes, can be purchased from
the various tourist offices in
the Westhoek.
These tourist offices can also
inform you about temporary
exhibitions and events related to
the theme of the First World War.
Similar information can be obtained
from the visitors’ centre in Ieper.
Most brochures are in Dutch, but
maps inside the brochure can still be a
great help.
O.L.V. ter
Duinen
Vlissegem
Bredene aan
Zee
Klemskerke
BREDENE
OOSTENDE
’THE GREAT WAR’ IN THE FLANDERS FIELDS
COUNTRY
p. 1
p. 4
p. 6
p. 9
0km
BRUGGE
Konterdam
Zandvoorde
Middelkerke
MIDDELKERKE
Bad
Wilskerke
Westende
10km
Sint-Kruis
Sint’War
and Peace in the Westhoek’Sijsele
Andries
Assebroek
links together various
museums,
Varsenare
Sint-Michiels
cemeteries,
monuments
and puSteenbrugge
blic sites which together seek to Oedelem
tell the story of the Great War in
our region. (See map)
E40
OUDENBURG
Ettelgem
Leffinge
5km
Stalhille
Raversijde
NOORDZEE
DAMME
Moerkerke
Meetkerke
Sas Slijkens
Mariakerke
Koolkerke
Houthave
Snaaskerke
JABBEKE
E40
IJz
Zerkegem
Bad
10
Roksem
Snellegem
Slijpe Brug
GISTEL
11
Westkerke
Westende
Bekegem
Slijpe
Nieuwpoort
11
Loppem
OOSTKAMP
Lombardsijde
aan zee
Heidelberg
13
IJzer
Oostduinkerke
E40
ZEDELGEM
Zevekote
3
BEERNEM
aan zee
1 Ieper
Sint-Joris
Moerdijk
14
St. Pieters
NIEUWPOORT
Eernegem
In
Flanders
Fields
Museum
N33
Kapelle
Moere
Koksijde
14
Oostduinkerke
Mannekensvere
aan zee
Visitor Waardamme
Centre
rt
Spermalie
Molendorp
poo
Zande
Aartrijke
St.-Idesbald
15
Ramskapelle
ieuw
Schore
rne-N
Veu
Sparappelhoek
Diksmuide
Veldegem
17
Hertsberge
Engel
KOKSIJDE
DE PANNE
Wulpen
Kruishoek
Leke
2a Yzer Tower
Schoorbakke
18
Geuzenbos
KOEKELARE
Ruddervoorde
N35
2b Trench of Death
Wildenburg
Mokker
19
Duinhoek
Booitshoeke
ICHTEGEM
Stuivekenskerke
Wynendaele
Pervijze
Keiem
19
Bray-Dunes
3 Nieuwpoort
Adinkerke
13
20
rque
Avekapelle
Ganzenpoot (Goose’s Foot)
Dunke
al De
Beerst
VEURNE
TORHOUT
E40
dcoote
21 Can
Veldhoek Albert I Monument
Steenkerke
Bovekerke
Scheewege
2b
Ghyvelde
Zoutenaaie
WINGENE
22
Edewalle
Bredensweger
Vladslo
4 KemmelHille
De Moeren
Eggewaartskapelle
22
Kaaskerke
RUIS
Hand
Oostkerke
French Ossuary
DIKSMUIDE zamevaart
Bulskamp
effrinckoucke
Zwevezele
LICHTERVELDE
23
Esen
KORTEMARK
Handzame
Werken
Schuiferska
Lampernisse
l
aa
5 Merkem
2a
rt
Kan
aa
25
Rijken
Oeren
Sint-Jakobs
r ne
atv
Fortem
Haantje
Les Moëres Veu
pg
kapelle
Wulveringem
N35
Drie Grachten Egem
Slo
26 Uxem
Vinkem
Zarren
Houtem
Oudekapelle
N32
(Three Brooks) TIELT
Nieuwe
ALVERINGEM
Zarren
Driekapellen
Woumen
herberg
28
beek
Nieuwkapelle
’De Boot’ PITTEM
Geite
Doorntje
Koolskamp
Klerken
Izenberge
Sint-Rijkers
Gits
Colme
32
la Basse
Canal de
6 Zonnebeke
er
Lo
va
ar
t
IJzer
Woesten
Brielen
POPERINGE
N38
ek
lbe
ote
Ke
Sint-Jan
De Klijte
Loker
Loker
Dranouter
St. Jans
Cappel
4
Meteren
BAILLEUL
Beselare
10
Zandvoorde
Houthem
WERVIK
Lys
Wervicq-Sud
Frelinghien
Outersteene
Nieppe
Bousbecque
Bas Warneton
Sint-Eloois
Winkel
10 Zillebeke
Hill 60
Desse
Beveren
KUURNE
DEERL
11 Langemark
HARELBEKE
German military cemetery
e
Lei
KORTRIJK
12 Mesen
Bissegem
A19
Irish Peace Park
Gullegem
Heule
14
HouthulstAalbeke
Rekkem
Belgian military cemetery
Bellegem
15 HoogledeRollegem
Ruddervoorde
The Westhoek
Linselle
± Frontline (1915-1917)
Ploegsteert
Merris
WI
Ooigem
WEVELGEM
Halluin
COMINES
Warneton
9 Passendale
LENDELEDE
Hulste
Tyne Cot Cemetery
Bavikhove
ZWEVEGEM
13 Vladslo
Marke
Lauwe
ebeek
MENEN
Deulemont
Strazeele
Geluw
Geluwe
Comines
Nieuwkerke
LEDEGEM
Geluveld
Zwarte Leen
MESEN
Douve
ek
8 Boezinge
CanalIZEGEM
bank
site John McCrae
Moorsele
Oosttaverne
12
lebe
Dadizele
Terhand
Hollebeke
HEUVELLAND
Kemmel
RollegemKapelle
Heu
A19
Sint-Eloois
Vierstraat
Wulvergem
MOORSLEDE
Verloren Hoek
Potyze
Borre
HAZEBROUCK
6
Zillebeekse
vijver Zillebeke
Wijtschate
Berthen
Beitem
1
Dikkebusse
vijver
Vossemolen
Passendale
Keiberg
Ouderdom Dikkebus
Gr
Monts
des Cats
9
OOSTROZEB
INGELMUNSTER
Oekene
ZONNEBEKE
IEPER
Kruisstraat
Flêtre
aple
Sint-Juliaan
e
mm
Emelgem
Cemetery
Poelkapelle
Voormezele
Westouter
Manegem
Poperinge
De Ruiter
11
Canadien
Vlamertinge
Brandhoek
Beveren
Zilverberg
ee
Caestre
8
Elverdinge
St. Sylvestre
Cappel
Hondeghem
Boezinge
t
ARDOOIE
Memorial
Museum
Passchendaele
Het Veld
7a Kuipendaarde
Talbot House
ROESELARE
MEULEBEKE
7b Lijssenthoek
Military
Rumbeke
Kachtem
Oostnieuwkerke
Westrozebeke
erl
Eecke
ek
Iep
Godewaersvelde
sbe
LANGEMARKPOELKAPELLE
Zuidschote
Reningelst
Boeschepe
Terdeghem
Jan
al
STEENVOORDE
88) CASSEL
Ste Marie
Cappel
eek
7b
kana
Hardifort
r
ete
Vl
N38
IJzer
melb
Abele
Kem
A25
St.
a
e
Sleihage
Vijfwege
Bikschote
N8
k
Wijnendale
Tasse
5 Merkem
Luzerne
Winnezeele
e
be
Oxelaere
VLETEREN
Oostvleteren
P o pe r i n g e v
Oudezeele
STADEN
Noordschote
Reninge
ar
14
Jonkershove
Kapellehoek
HOOGLEDE
del
Killem
Killem
54
Killem-Linde
56
Beveren
Stavele
Rexpoede
aëdypre
62
Les 5 Chemins
Westvleteren
r
e
West
73
Cappel
IJz RoesbruggeHaringe
Oost
Cappel
99 Wylder
Krombeke
09
Haringe
14
Bambecque
Proven
17
Herzeele
Houtkerque
22
WORMHOUT
23
Sint-Jan-ter Biezen
25
7a
Watou
27
Droogland
UM
HIS
HOUTHULST
Pollinkhove
52
e
15
Spaarbekken
De Blankaart
LO-RENINGE
Gijverinkhove
Man
Hoogstade
t
Leisele
HONDSCHOOTE
Warhem
Lovaar
38
oymille
QUESNOY
sur deule
Bondues
• www.greatwar.be
about the war in the Westhoek
• www.inflandersfields.be
about the museum in Ypres
• www.cwgc.org
about British military cemeteries
• www.talbothouse.be
about Talbot House in Poperinge
• www.lijssenthoek.be
about the hospital cemetery Lijssenthoek in Poperinge
• www.ijzertoren.org
about the IJzer Tower in Diksmuide
• www.passchendaele.be
about the museum in Zonnebeke
• www.awm.gov.au
about Australia in the war
• www.collectionscanada.ca
about Canada in the war
• www.abmc.gov
about America in the war
• www.memoiredeshommes.sga.defense.gouv.fr
about French soldiers in the war
• www.historial.org
about France in the war and the museum in Péronne
• www.volksbund.de
about German military cemeteries
• www.deulys.com
about Deulys, a cross-border remembrance program about WWI
TOURISM INFO WEBSITES
• www.tourismflandersfields.be
about the Flanders Fields Country
• www.visitflanders.co.uk & www.visitflanders.us
about Flanders-Belgium
Tourism Office for Flanders, Belgium
New York Times Building
620 Eight Avenue, 44th Floor
New York, NY10018
T. (212)584-2336
www.visitflanders.us
The Flanders Fields Countr y
Tourism Flanders-Brussels
Flanders House
1a Cavendish Square
London, W1G OLD
T. (020)7307-7738
www.visitflanders.co.uk
• VISITORS CENTRE
• LO-RENINGE
for Ypres & Westhoek
Grote Markt 34
8900 Ieper
T. 0032(0)-57 23 92 20
[email protected]
www.visitypres.be
Markt 17a, Lauka
8647 Lo-Reninge
T. 0032(0)-58 28 91 66
[email protected]
www.lauka.be
• ALVERINGEM
Sint Rijkersstraat 19
8690 Alveringem
T. 0032(0)-58 28 88 81
[email protected]
www.alveringem.be
• DIKSMUIDE
Grote Markt 28
8600 Diksmuide
T. 0032(0)-51 51 91 46
[email protected]
www.diksmuide.be
• HEUVELLAND
Sint-Laurentiusplein 1
8950 Kemmel
T. 0032(0)-57 45 04 55
[email protected]
www.heuvelland.be
• HOOGLEDE
Marktplaats 1, 8830 Hooglede
T. 0032(0)-51 20 30 30
[email protected]
www.hooglede.be
• HOUTHULST
Markt 17, 8650 Houthulst
T. 0032(0)-51 46 08 94
[email protected]
www.houthulst.be
• KOEKELARE
Sint-Maartensplein 15B
8680 Koekelare
T. 0032(0)-51 58 92 01
[email protected]
www.koekelare.be
• KORTEMARK
Torhoutstraat 9
8610 Werken (Kortemark)
T. 0032(0)-51 56 61 08
T. 0032(0)-51 57 09 15
[email protected]
www.kortemark.be
• MESEN
Markt 22, 8957 Mesen
T. 0032(0)-57 22 17 14
[email protected]
www.mesen.be
• POPERINGE
Grote Markt 1, 8970 Poperinge
T. 0032(0)-57 34 66 76-77
[email protected]
• STADEN
Marktplaats 2, 8840 Staden
T. 0032(0)-51 70 82 00
[email protected]
www.staden.be
• VEURNE
Grote Markt 29,
8630 Veurne
T. 0032(0)-58 33 55 31
[email protected]
www.veurne.be
• VVV VEURNE- AMBACHT
Huis de Bryarde 12
8630 Beauvoorde (Veurne)
T. 0032(0)-58 29 92 29
• VLETEREN
Kasteelstraat 39
8640 Vleteren
T. 0032(0)-57 40 00 99
[email protected]
www.vleteren.be
new
announCed
• WERVIK
Koestraat 63, 8940for
Wervik suMMer
T. 0032(0)-56 95 24 25
[email protected]
2012
INTERESTING FIRST WORLD WAR
WEBSITES
• ZONNEBEKE
Ieperstraat 7A
8980 Zonnebeke
T. 0032(0)-51 77 04 41
[email protected]
www.zonnebeke.be
the Lijssenthoek MiLitary
• NIEUWPOORT
Kasteelstraat 1
Marktplein 7, 8620 Nieuwpoort
8920 Langemark
T. 0032(0)-58 22 44 44
T. 0032(0)-57 49 09 41
Your smartphone guides [email protected]
you through the story of nurse Jane,
[email protected]
www.nieuwpoort.be
the research of Guillaume and the work of gardner Tom. It
CeMetery appLiCation
leads you up the cemetery to ten points of interest, each with
a historic meaning. The characters are very much alive. Images and sounds increase the experience of the past. The field
Westhoek Info:
hospital emerges Koning
from the
surrounding
fields.
This application
Albert
I-laan 120,
B-8200
Brugge
is part of ”Diary T.
14-18”,
a
series
which
is
linking
to five im0032(0)-50 30 55 00
portant WW1-sites.
Free download available on the App Store
[email protected]
and Android Market.
CAF
EVE
SITE
MEM

now - Visit Flanders

Transcription

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