Ypres, or Ieper, lies in Flanders at the heart of the battlefields of the First World War. A thriving wool town in the Middle Ages, its location on a main route from Paris to the north meant that it was strategically important: and the city was to pay the price when the German Army marched into Belgium en route for Paris in 1914.
Still easily accessible by road and rail (regular trains and buses leave from, among other places, Brussels and Bruges) Ypres is important both in its own right and as a starting point for visiting some of the major Flanders battlefields. A compact settlement, it is easily seen on foot, although many of the surrounding battlefields require private transport or are accessible through an organised tour.
Ypres and the First World War
The German invasion of Belgium in 1914 left Ypres directly in the front line. The relatively higher ground on which the town stands was occupied early in the war by the Germans but was swiftly taken by the Allied Forces. The front line fluctuated around the city for the rest of the war but was always within range of enemy guns (The Great War website).
Commanding the high ground made Ypres a target and it is unsurprising that the city suffered heavily. Its 20,000 civilians were evacuated in 1915 and the battle for Ypres cost over 200,000 British lives alone (Imperial war Museum, “The rebuilding of Ypres”). The post war rebuilding was undertaken after much debate and reconstruction as not complete until the 1960s.
Things to Do and See in Ypres
Inevitably, the focus of the visitor experience in Ypres is on the legacy of the war. The city’s magnificent Cloth Hall, destroyed by German Artillery, was rebuilt as closely as possible to its original condition. Completed in 1967, it is now home to the town hall and tourist office, as well as the in Flanders Fields Museum.
Some sense of the town’s past can be gained by a walk around the ramparts, which show how Ypres’ importance has been maintained through the centuries. Much has been rebuilt but some portions, dating from as early as the thirteenth century, have survived in their original state. A walking route leaflet is available from the tourist information office
A poignant memorial is St George’s Memorial church, in Elverdingestraat. Completed in 1929 with public donations, the church continues to serve the British community in Ypres. A truly moving space, its interior is full of memorials to the dead, including many regimental plaques and memorial windows. The church is open daily from 9.30-8.00 (closing at 4pm between November and March) with Holy Commnion and Evensong celebrated on Sundays.
In Flanders Fields Museum, Cloth Hall
In the centre of Ypres, the In Flanders Fields Museum (originally the Ypres Salient Memorial Museum) is a moving representation of the traumas suffered by the city, its residents and those who fought over it. Visitors are given a ticket with the name of a real person and, as they move through the museum, learn the fate of ‘their’ character: some died, some survived, some returned to the city and some left it forever.
As well as the collections, the museum includes a multi-media experience as the visitor walks through a darkened representation of the battlefield at night. While it can’t begin to represent the real terror, the darkness, the screaming and the sense of not knowing what lies ahead provide a thought-provoking experience.
The museum is undergoing major refurbishment and, although most of the collection will remain open, it is scheduled to be closed for certain during the winters of 2010 and 2011 prior to the reopening in 2012 (details of opening times are available on the museum website). Admission prices for 2010 were €8 for an adult, with concessions for children and groups.
The Menin Gate
The Menin Gate is probably the best-known sight in Ypres. Standing at the eastern end of the town it marks the route along which the soldiers set out for the front. Unveiled in 1927, the massive gateway of Portland stone is one of four memorials to missing soldiers in the Ypres Salient and bears the names of more than 54,000 who have no known grave (Commonwealth War Graves Commission).
As well as being a memorial, the Menin Gate is the site of a daily ceremony where, at eight o’clock in the evening, all traffic is stopped while buglers from the Ypres Fire Brigade sound the traditional military call for the dead, the Last Post. The bugle call has been sounded every night since 1928 the only exception being the German occupation of the town during the Second world War.
Other Sights Around Ypres
Many tour companies offer bus or minibus tours of the surrounding battlefields, or they can be visited independently by those with their own transport. Locations such as the Tyne Cot cemetery at Passchendaele, one of the few remaining section of the trenches at Hill 62 and the German cemetery at Langemarck are all within easy reach of the town.
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