Ypres
Encyclopedia
Ypres is a Belgian
municipality located in the Flemish
province
of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres and the villages of Boezinge
, Brielen, Dikkebus, Elverdinge, Hollebeke
, Sint-Jan, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Zillebeke
, and Zuidschote. Together, they count some 34,900 inhabitants.
During World War I
, Ypres was the centre of intense and sustained battles between the German
and the Allied
forces. During the war, due to it being hard to pronounce in English, British troops, also known as "Tommies
", nicknamed the city "Wipers".
Ypres is an ancient town, known to have been raided by the Romans
in the first century BC.
During the Middle Ages
, Ypres was a prosperous Flemish
city with a population of 40,000, renowned for its linen
trade with England, which was mentioned in the Canterbury Tales.
As the third largest city in the County of Flanders
(after Ghent
and Bruges
) Ypres played an important role in the history of the textile industry. Textiles from Ypres could be found on the markets of Novgorod in Russia in the early 12th century. In 1241 a major fire ruined much of the old city. The powerful city was involved in important treaties and battles, including the Battle of the Golden Spurs
, the Battle at Pevelenberg, The Peace of Melun and the Battle of Cassel
.
The famous Cloth Hall
was built in the thirteenth century. Also during this time cat
s, then the symbol of the devil and witchcraft, were thrown off Cloth Hall, possibly due to the belief that this would get rid of evil demons. Today, this act is commemorated with a triennial Cat Parade
through town.
After the destruction of Thérouanne
, Ypres became the seat of the new Diocese of Ypres
in 1561, and Saint Martin's Church
was elevated to cathedral status.
During the Norwich Crusade, led by the English bishop Henry le Despenser, Ypres was besieged
from May to August 1383, until French relief forces arrived. On March 25, 1678 Ypres was conquered by the forces of Louis XIV of France
. In 1697, after the Treaty of Ryswick
, it came into the possession of the Spanish Crown.
During the War of the Spanish Succession
, the Duke of Marlborough
in 1709 intended to capture Ypres, at the time a major French fortress, but changed his mind due to the long time and effort it had taken him to capture Tournai
and apprehension of disease spreading in his army in the poorly drained land around Ypres (see Battle of Malplaquet
). In 1713 it was handed over to the Habsburgs, and became part of the Austrian Netherlands.
In 1782 the Austrian emperor Joseph II
ordered parts of the walls torn down, making it easy for the French to take over the city during the first coalition
war in 1794.
Ypres had long been fortified to keep out invaders. Parts of the early ramparts, dating from 1385, still survive near the Rijselpoort (Lille Gate). Over time, the earthworks were replaced by sturdier masonry and earth structures and a partial moat
. Ypres was further fortified in 17th and 18th centuries while under the occupation of the Habsburgs and the French
. Major works were completed at the end of the 17th century by the French
military engineer Sebastien Le Prestre, Seigneur de Vauban.
Ypres occupied a strategic position during World War I
because it stood in the path of Germany's planned sweep across the rest of Belgium and into France
from the north (the Schlieffen Plan
). The neutrality
of Belgium was guaranteed by Britain; Germany's invasion of Belgium brought the British Empire
into the war. The German army surrounded the city on three sides, bombarding it throughout much of the war. To counterattack, British, French, and allied forces made costly advances from the Ypres Salient
into the German lines on the surrounding hills.
In the First Battle of Ypres
(12 October to 11 November 1914), the Allies captured the town from the Germans. In the Second Battle of Ypres
(22 April to 25 May 1915), the Germans used poison gas for the first time (they had used tear gas earlier at the Battle of Bolimov
on 3 January 1915) and captured high ground east of the town. The first gas attack occurred against Canadian, British, and French soldiers; including both metropolitan French soldiers as well as Senegal
ese and Algeria
n tirailleurs (light infantry) from French Africa. The gas used was chlorine
. Mustard gas, also called Yperite from the name of this city, was also used for the first time near Ypres, in the autumn of 1917.
Of the battles, the largest, best-known, and most costly in human suffering was the Third Battle of Ypres (21 July to 6 November 1917, also known as the Battle of Passchendaele), in which the British, Canadians, ANZAC, and French forces recaptured the Passchendaele Ridge east of the city at a terrible cost of lives. After months of fighting, this battle resulted in nearly half a million casualties to all sides, and only a few miles of ground won by Allied forces. During the course of the war the town was all but obliterated by the artillery fire.
English-speaking soldiers in that war often referred to Ieper/Ypres by the deliberate mispronunciation Wipers. British soldiers even published a wartime newspaper called the Wipers Times
. The same style of deliberate mispronunciation was applied to other Flemish place names in the Ypres area for the benefit of British troops, such as Whyteshaete becoming White Sheet and Ploegsteert becoming Plug Street.
Ypres was at least one of the sites that hosted an unofficial Christmas Truce
in 1914 between German and British soldiers.
, dedicated to Ypres's role in the First World War.
Today, Ypres is a small city in the very western part of Belgium, the so-called Westhoek. Ypres these days has the title of "city of peace" and maintains a close friendship with another town on which war had a profound impact: Hiroshima
. Both towns witnessed warfare at its worst: Ypres was one of the first places where chemical warfare
was employed
, while Hiroshima suffered the debut of nuclear warfare
. The city governments of Ypres and Hiroshima advocate that cities should never be targets again and campaign for the abolition of nuclear weapons. The City of Ypres hosts the international campaign secretariat of Mayors for Peace
, an international Mayoral organization mobilizing cities and citizens worldwide to abolish and eliminate nuclear weapons by the year 2020. Mayors for Peace 2020 Vision Campaign
The imposing Cloth Hall
was built in the 13th century and was one of the largest commercial buildings of the Middle Ages. The structure which stands today is the exact copy of the original medieval building, rebuilt after the war. The belfry
that surmounts the hall houses a 49-bell carillon
. The whole complex was designated a World Heritage Site
by UNESCO
in 1999.
The Gothic
-style Saint Martin's Cathedral
, originally built in 1221, was also completely reconstructed after the war, but now with a higher spire. It houses the tombs of Jansenius, bishop of Ypres and father of the religious movement known as Jansenism
, and of Robert of Bethune
, nicknamed "The Lion of Flanders", who was Count of Nevers (1273–1322) and Count of Flanders
(1305–1322).
The Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing
in Ypres commemorates those soldiers of the British Commonwealth - with the exception of Newfoundland - who fell in the Ypres Salient
during the First World War before 16 August 1917, who have no known grave. Those who died from that date - and all from New Zealand and Newfoundland - are commemorated elsewhere. The memorial's location is especially poignant as it lies on the eastward route from the town which allied soldiers would have taken towards the fighting - many never to return. Every evening since 1928 (except for a period during the Second World War when Ypres was occupied by Germany), at precisely eight o'clock, traffic around the imposing arches of the Menin Gate Memorial has been stopped while the Last Post
is sounded beneath the Gate by the local fire brigade. This tribute is given in honour of the memory of British Empire
soldiers who fought and died there. The Menin Gate in Ypres records only the soldiers for whom there is no known grave. As graves are identified, the names of those buried in them are removed from the Menin Gate.
The ceremony was prohibited by occupying German forces during the Second World War, but it was resumed on the very evening of liberation — 6 September 1944 — notwithstanding the heavy fighting that still went on in other parts of the town. The lions that marked the original gate were given to Australia by the people of Belgium and can be found at the Australian War Memorial
in Canberra
.
War graves, both of the Allied side and the Central Powers, cover the landscape around Ypres. The largest number of dead are at Langemark German war cemetery and Tyne Cot Commonwealth war cemetery. The countryside around Ypres is featured in the famous poem by John McCrae
, In Flanders Fields
.
Saint George's Memorial Church
commemorates the British and Commonwealth soldiers, who died in the five battles fought for Ypres during World War I.
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Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
municipality located in the Flemish
Flemish Region
The Flemish Region is one of the three official regions of the Kingdom of Belgium—alongside the Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region. Colloquially, it is usually simply referred to as Flanders, of which it is the institutional iteration within the context of the Belgian political system...
province
Provinces of Belgium
Belgium is divided into three regions, two of them are subdivided into five provinces each.The division into provinces is fixed by Article 5 of the Belgian Constitution...
of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres and the villages of Boezinge
Boezinge
Boezinge is a village north of the city of Ypres in West Flanders, Belgium, on the N369 road in the direction of Diksmuide.Artillery Wood Cemetery, near the village, is a First World War cemetery. It is the location of the grave of Hedd Wyn, the 1917 National Eisteddfod-winning Welsh poet, and of...
, Brielen, Dikkebus, Elverdinge, Hollebeke
Hollebeke
Hollebeke is a Flemish village in the Belgian province of West Vlaanderen, now part of Ypres city.-History:In World War I, it was the site of allied heroism that won Khudadad Khan the first Victoria Cross ever awarded to a native Indian.In 1970 it was incorporated in Zillebeke, which in turn...
, Sint-Jan, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Zillebeke
Zillebeke
Zillebeke is a village in the Flemish province of West-Vlaanderen in Belgium. The former municipality is now part of Ypres.-History:On March 3, 1914 the then municipality was granted the arms are those of the last Lords of Zillebeke, the Canton family, Viscounts of Winnezeele, which had in 1740...
, and Zuidschote. Together, they count some 34,900 inhabitants.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Ypres was the centre of intense and sustained battles between the German
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
and the Allied
Allies of World War I
The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...
forces. During the war, due to it being hard to pronounce in English, British troops, also known as "Tommies
Tommy Atkins
Tommy Atkins is a term for a common soldier in the British Army that was already well established in the 19th century, but is particularly associated with World War I. It can be used as a term of reference, or as a form of address. German soldiers would call out to "Tommy" across no man's land if...
", nicknamed the city "Wipers".
Origins to World War I
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
in the first century BC.
During the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, Ypres was a prosperous Flemish
Flemish
Flemish can refer to anything related to Flanders, and may refer directly to the following articles:*Flemish, an informal, though linguistically incorrect, name of any kind of the Dutch language as spoken in Belgium....
city with a population of 40,000, renowned for its linen
Linen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
trade with England, which was mentioned in the Canterbury Tales.
As the third largest city in the County of Flanders
County of Flanders
The County of Flanders was one of the territories constituting the Low Countries. The county existed from 862 to 1795. It was one of the original secular fiefs of France and for centuries was one of the most affluent regions in Europe....
(after Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
and Bruges
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
) Ypres played an important role in the history of the textile industry. Textiles from Ypres could be found on the markets of Novgorod in Russia in the early 12th century. In 1241 a major fire ruined much of the old city. The powerful city was involved in important treaties and battles, including the Battle of the Golden Spurs
Battle of the Golden Spurs
The Battle of the Golden Spurs, known also as the Battle of Courtrai was fought on July 11, 1302, near Kortrijk in Flanders...
, the Battle at Pevelenberg, The Peace of Melun and the Battle of Cassel
Battle of Cassel (1328)
The Battle of Cassel was fought on 23 August 1328 by Philip VI, the King of France, and first ruler of House of Valois , against the peasant revolt in Flanders, led by Nicolaas Zannekin. The battle took place near the city of Cassel, 30 km south of Dunkirk in present-day France...
.
The famous Cloth Hall
Cloth Hall, Ypres
The Cloth Hall , of Ypres, Belgium, was one of the largest commercial buildings of the Middle Ages, when it served as the main market and warehouse for the Flemish city's prosperous cloth industry. The original structure, erected mainly in the 13th century and completed 1304, lay in ruins after...
was built in the thirteenth century. Also during this time cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s, then the symbol of the devil and witchcraft, were thrown off Cloth Hall, possibly due to the belief that this would get rid of evil demons. Today, this act is commemorated with a triennial Cat Parade
Kattenstoet
The Kattenstoet, Festival of the Cats, is a parade in Ypres, Belgium, devoted to the cat. It is held every third year on the second Sunday of May. Most recently, the 42nd edition took place on May 10, 2009....
through town.
After the destruction of Thérouanne
Thérouanne
Thérouanne is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Thérouanne is located 10 miles southwest of Saint-Omer, on the D157 and D341 road junction.-Population:-History:...
, Ypres became the seat of the new Diocese of Ypres
Diocese of Ypres
The former Roman Catholic Diocese of Ypres, in present-day Belgium, existed from 1559 to 1801. Its seat was Saint Martin's Cathedral in Ypres.-History:...
in 1561, and Saint Martin's Church
Saint Martin's Church
St. Martin's Church is an historic Episcopal church at 50 Orchard Avenue in Providence, Rhode Island.The Gothic church was built in 1917 by Wallis Eastburn Howe and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.-See also:...
was elevated to cathedral status.
During the Norwich Crusade, led by the English bishop Henry le Despenser, Ypres was besieged
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
from May to August 1383, until French relief forces arrived. On March 25, 1678 Ypres was conquered by the forces of Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
. In 1697, after the Treaty of Ryswick
Treaty of Ryswick
The Treaty of Ryswick or Ryswyck was signed on 20 September 1697 and named after Ryswick in the Dutch Republic. The treaty settled the Nine Years' War, which pitted France against the Grand Alliance of England, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and the United Provinces.Negotiations started in May...
, it came into the possession of the Spanish Crown.
During the War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
, the Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim, KG, PC , was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs through the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
in 1709 intended to capture Ypres, at the time a major French fortress, but changed his mind due to the long time and effort it had taken him to capture Tournai
Tournai
Tournai is a Walloon city and municipality of Belgium located 85 kilometres southwest of Brussels, on the river Scheldt, in the province of Hainaut....
and apprehension of disease spreading in his army in the poorly drained land around Ypres (see Battle of Malplaquet
Battle of Malplaquet
The Battle of Malplaquet, fought on 11 September 1709, was one of the main battles of the War of the Spanish Succession, which opposed the Bourbons of France and Spain against an alliance whose major members were the Habsburg Monarchy, Great Britain, the United Provinces and the Kingdom of...
). In 1713 it was handed over to the Habsburgs, and became part of the Austrian Netherlands.
In 1782 the Austrian emperor Joseph II
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I...
ordered parts of the walls torn down, making it easy for the French to take over the city during the first coalition
First Coalition
The War of the First Coalition was the first major effort of multiple European monarchies to contain Revolutionary France. France declared war on the Habsburg monarchy of Austria on 20 April 1792, and the Kingdom of Prussia joined the Austrian side a few weeks later.These powers initiated a series...
war in 1794.
Ypres had long been fortified to keep out invaders. Parts of the early ramparts, dating from 1385, still survive near the Rijselpoort (Lille Gate). Over time, the earthworks were replaced by sturdier masonry and earth structures and a partial moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
. Ypres was further fortified in 17th and 18th centuries while under the occupation of the Habsburgs and the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Major works were completed at the end of the 17th century by the French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
military engineer Sebastien Le Prestre, Seigneur de Vauban.
World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
because it stood in the path of Germany's planned sweep across the rest of Belgium and into France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
from the north (the Schlieffen Plan
Schlieffen Plan
The Schlieffen Plan was the German General Staff's early 20th century overall strategic plan for victory in a possible future war in which the German Empire might find itself fighting on two fronts: France to the west and Russia to the east...
). The neutrality
Neutrality (international relations)
A neutral power in a particular war is a sovereign state which declares itself to be neutral towards the belligerents. A non-belligerent state does not need to be neutral. The rights and duties of a neutral power are defined in Sections 5 and 13 of the Hague Convention of 1907...
of Belgium was guaranteed by Britain; Germany's invasion of Belgium brought the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
into the war. The German army surrounded the city on three sides, bombarding it throughout much of the war. To counterattack, British, French, and allied forces made costly advances from the Ypres Salient
Ypres Salient
The Ypres Salient is the area around Ypres in Belgium which was the scene of some of the biggest battles in World War I.In military terms, a salient is a battlefield feature that projects into enemy territory. Therefore, the salient is surrounded by the enemy on three sides, making the troops...
into the German lines on the surrounding hills.
In the First Battle of Ypres
First Battle of Ypres
The First Battle of Ypres, also called the First Battle of Flanders , was a First World War battle fought for the strategic town of Ypres in western Belgium...
(12 October to 11 November 1914), the Allies captured the town from the Germans. In the Second Battle of Ypres
Second Battle of Ypres
The Second Battle of Ypres was the first time Germany used poison gas on a large scale on the Western Front in the First World War and the first time a former colonial force pushed back a major European power on European soil, which occurred in the battle of St...
(22 April to 25 May 1915), the Germans used poison gas for the first time (they had used tear gas earlier at the Battle of Bolimov
Battle of Bolimov
The Battle of Bolimov was an inconclusive battle of World War I fought on January 31, 1915 between Germany and Russia and considered a preliminary to the Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes.- Battle :...
on 3 January 1915) and captured high ground east of the town. The first gas attack occurred against Canadian, British, and French soldiers; including both metropolitan French soldiers as well as Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
ese and Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
n tirailleurs (light infantry) from French Africa. The gas used was chlorine
Chlorine
Chlorine is the chemical element with atomic number 17 and symbol Cl. It is the second lightest halogen, found in the periodic table in group 17. The element forms diatomic molecules under standard conditions, called dichlorine...
. Mustard gas, also called Yperite from the name of this city, was also used for the first time near Ypres, in the autumn of 1917.
English-speaking soldiers in that war often referred to Ieper/Ypres by the deliberate mispronunciation Wipers. British soldiers even published a wartime newspaper called the Wipers Times
Wipers Times
The Wipers Times was a trench magazine that was published by soldiers fighting on the front lines of the First World War.It was produced by English soldiers from the 12th Battalion Sherwood Foresters , 24th Division British Armies in France.In early 1916, the 12th Battalion was stationed in the...
. The same style of deliberate mispronunciation was applied to other Flemish place names in the Ypres area for the benefit of British troops, such as Whyteshaete becoming White Sheet and Ploegsteert becoming Plug Street.
Ypres was at least one of the sites that hosted an unofficial Christmas Truce
Christmas truce
Christmas truce was a series of widespread unofficial ceasefires that took place along the Western Front around Christmas of 1914, during the First World War...
in 1914 between German and British soldiers.
Ypres today
After the war the town was rebuilt using money paid by Germany in reparations, with the main square, including the Cloth Hall and town hall, being rebuilt as close to the original designs as possible (the rest of the rebuilt town is more modern in appearance). The Cloth Hall today is home to In Flanders Fields MuseumIn Flanders Fields Museum
The In Flanders' Fields Museum is devoted to the study of World War I and occupies the second floor of the Cloth Hall, Ypres in Belgium. The building was virtually destroyed by artillery fire during the Battles of Ypres and has been reconstructed. The curator, Piet Chielens, is a World War I...
, dedicated to Ypres's role in the First World War.
Today, Ypres is a small city in the very western part of Belgium, the so-called Westhoek. Ypres these days has the title of "city of peace" and maintains a close friendship with another town on which war had a profound impact: Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
. Both towns witnessed warfare at its worst: Ypres was one of the first places where chemical warfare
Chemical warfare
Chemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from Nuclear warfare and Biological warfare, which together make up NBC, the military acronym for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical...
was employed
Second Battle of Ypres
The Second Battle of Ypres was the first time Germany used poison gas on a large scale on the Western Front in the First World War and the first time a former colonial force pushed back a major European power on European soil, which occurred in the battle of St...
, while Hiroshima suffered the debut of nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
. The city governments of Ypres and Hiroshima advocate that cities should never be targets again and campaign for the abolition of nuclear weapons. The City of Ypres hosts the international campaign secretariat of Mayors for Peace
Mayors for Peace
Mayors for Peace is an international organization of cities, dedicated for the promotion of peace that was established in 1982 at the initiative of then mayor of Hiroshima Takeshi Araki....
, an international Mayoral organization mobilizing cities and citizens worldwide to abolish and eliminate nuclear weapons by the year 2020. Mayors for Peace 2020 Vision Campaign
Town centre
Cloth Hall, Ypres
The Cloth Hall , of Ypres, Belgium, was one of the largest commercial buildings of the Middle Ages, when it served as the main market and warehouse for the Flemish city's prosperous cloth industry. The original structure, erected mainly in the 13th century and completed 1304, lay in ruins after...
was built in the 13th century and was one of the largest commercial buildings of the Middle Ages. The structure which stands today is the exact copy of the original medieval building, rebuilt after the war. The belfry
Belfries of Belgium and France
The Belfries of Belgium and France is a group of 56 historical buildings designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Site, in recognition of an architectural manifestation of emerging civic independence in historic Flanders and neighbouring regions from feudal and religious influences, leading to a...
that surmounts the hall houses a 49-bell carillon
Carillon
A carillon is a musical instrument that is typically housed in a free-standing bell tower, or the belfry of a church or other municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to play a melody, or sounded together to play a chord...
. The whole complex was designated a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
in 1999.
The Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
-style Saint Martin's Cathedral
Saint Martin's Cathedral
Saint Martin's Cathedral or Saint Martin's Church is a church in the Belgian city of Ypres. It was a cathedral and the seat of the former diocese of Ypres from 1561 to 1801. Although no longer a technically a cathedral, it is still often referred to as one, as is the case with many proto-cathedrals...
, originally built in 1221, was also completely reconstructed after the war, but now with a higher spire. It houses the tombs of Jansenius, bishop of Ypres and father of the religious movement known as Jansenism
Jansenism
Jansenism was a Christian theological movement, primarily in France, that emphasized original sin, human depravity, the necessity of divine grace, and predestination. The movement originated from the posthumously published work of the Dutch theologian Cornelius Otto Jansen, who died in 1638...
, and of Robert of Bethune
Robert III of Flanders
Robert III of Flanders , also called Robert of Bethune and nicknamed The Lion of Flanders , was Count of Nevers 1273–1322 and Count of Flanders 1305–1322.-History:...
, nicknamed "The Lion of Flanders", who was Count of Nevers (1273–1322) and Count of Flanders
Count of Flanders
The Count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders from the 9th century until the abolition of the position by the French revolutionaries in 1790....
(1305–1322).
Menin Gate
Menin Gate
The Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing is a war memorial in Ypres, Belgium dedicated to the commemoration of British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of the First World War and whose graves are unknown...
in Ypres commemorates those soldiers of the British Commonwealth - with the exception of Newfoundland - who fell in the Ypres Salient
Ypres Salient
The Ypres Salient is the area around Ypres in Belgium which was the scene of some of the biggest battles in World War I.In military terms, a salient is a battlefield feature that projects into enemy territory. Therefore, the salient is surrounded by the enemy on three sides, making the troops...
during the First World War before 16 August 1917, who have no known grave. Those who died from that date - and all from New Zealand and Newfoundland - are commemorated elsewhere. The memorial's location is especially poignant as it lies on the eastward route from the town which allied soldiers would have taken towards the fighting - many never to return. Every evening since 1928 (except for a period during the Second World War when Ypres was occupied by Germany), at precisely eight o'clock, traffic around the imposing arches of the Menin Gate Memorial has been stopped while the Last Post
Last Post
The "Last Post" can be either a B♭ bugle call within British Infantry regiments or an E♭ cavalry trumpet call in British Cavalry and Royal Regiment of Artillery used at Commonwealth military funerals and ceremonies commemorating those who have been killed in war.The two regimental traditions have...
is sounded beneath the Gate by the local fire brigade. This tribute is given in honour of the memory of British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
soldiers who fought and died there. The Menin Gate in Ypres records only the soldiers for whom there is no known grave. As graves are identified, the names of those buried in them are removed from the Menin Gate.
Australian War Memorial
The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of all its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in the wars of the Commonwealth of Australia...
in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
.
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- "Who will remember, passing through this Gate,
- The unheroic Dead who fed the guns?"
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- -- Siegfried SassoonSiegfried SassoonSiegfried Loraine Sassoon CBE MC was an English poet, author and soldier. Decorated for bravery on the Western Front, he became one of the leading poets of the First World War. His poetry both described the horrors of the trenches, and satirised the patriotic pretensions of those who, in Sassoon's...
, On Passing the Menin Gate
- -- Siegfried Sassoon
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John McCrae
Lieutenant Colonel John Alexander McCrae was a Canadian poet, physician, author, artist and soldier during World War I and a surgeon during the Second Battle of Ypres...
, In Flanders Fields
In Flanders Fields
"In Flanders Fields" is one of the most notable poems written during World War I, created in the form of a French rondeau. It has been called "the most popular poem" produced during that period...
.
Saint George's Memorial Church
Saint George's Memorial Church, Ypres
Saint George's Memorial Church, Ypres, Belgium, was built to commemorate over 500,000 British and Commonwealth troops, who had died in the three battles fought for the Ypres Salient, during World War I....
commemorates the British and Commonwealth soldiers, who died in the five battles fought for Ypres during World War I.
Events
- The Cat ParadeKattenstoetThe Kattenstoet, Festival of the Cats, is a parade in Ypres, Belgium, devoted to the cat. It is held every third year on the second Sunday of May. Most recently, the 42nd edition took place on May 10, 2009....
("Kattenstoet") takes place every three years on the second Sunday of May. It involves the throwing of toy cats from the belfry and a colourful parade of cats and witches. The latest Cat Parade took place on May 10, 2009. - Ypres is also the home of the Belgium Ypres Westhoek RallyBelgium Ypres Westhoek RallyThe Belgium Ypres Westhoek Rally founded by Frans Thévelin in 1965 is one of the most famous rallies in the European Rally Championship and the Intercontinental Rally Challenge....
since its creation in 1965. It is organized by the Auto Club Targa Florio. Some of the drivers to have taken part are among the best-known names in rallying, such as Juha KankkunenJuha KankkunenJuha Matti Pellervo Kankkunen is a Finnish former rally driver. His factory team career in the World Rally Championship lasted from 1983 to 2002. He won 23 world rallies and four drivers' world championship titles, which were both once records in the series...
, Bruno ThiryBruno ThiryBruno Thiry is a Belgian rally driver. He was born in St. Vith, Province of Liège.He began his career as an amateur in 1981, driving a Simca, and quickly became very successful in the Belgian Rally Championship. In 1994, he joined the Ford team to contest the World Rally Championship, driving a...
, Henri ToivonenHenri ToivonenHenri Pauli Toivonen was a Finnish rally driver born in Jyväskylä, the home of Rally Finland. His father, Pauli Toivonen, was the 1968 European Rally Champion for Porsche and his brother, Harri Toivonen, became a professional circuit racer.Toivonen's first World Rally Championship victory came...
, Colin McRaeColin McRaeColin Steele McRae, MBE was a Scottish rally driver born in Lanark.The son of five-time British Rally Champion Jimmy McRae and brother of rally driver Alister McRae, Colin McRae was the 1991 and 1992 British Rally Champion and, in 1995, became the first British person and the youngest to win the...
, Jimmy McRaeJimmy McRaeJimmy McRae is a Scottish rally driver. He is the father of World Rally Championship drivers Alister McRae, and the late 1995 World Rally Champion Colin McRae...
, Marc DuezMarc DuezMarc Duez is a race and rally driver from Belgium.He won the 24 Hours Nürburgring several times, and also the 24 Hours Spa.Duez also has competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Andros Trophy....
, François DuvalFrançois DuvalFrançois Duval is a Belgian rally driver.-1999–2004:With victories in four events Duval won the Belgian Citroën Saxo Challenge title in 1999...
, and Freddy LoixFreddy LoixFreddy Loix is a Belgian rally driver.Loix's career in motor sport began in karting at the age of 15...
among others. - Ypres holds an annual canoe polo tournament in which teams come from all over Europe to play
Famous inhabitants
- William of YpresWilliam of YpresWilliam of Ypres , styled count of Flanders, was King Stephen of England's chief lieutenant during the English civil wars of 1139–54...
, a commander of Flemish mercenaries in England who was reckoned among the more able of the military commanders fighting for King Stephen of EnglandStephen of EnglandStephen , often referred to as Stephen of Blois , was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne by right of his wife. Stephen's reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda...
in his 19 year civil warThe AnarchyThe Anarchy or The Nineteen-Year Winter was a period of English history during the reign of King Stephen, which was characterised by civil war and unsettled government...
with the Empress MatildaEmpress MatildaEmpress Matilda , also known as Matilda of England or Maude, was the daughter and heir of King Henry I of England. Matilda and her younger brother, William Adelin, were the only legitimate children of King Henry to survive to adulthood...
. - Jacob Clemens non PapaJacob Clemens non PapaJacobus Clemens non Papa was a Flemish composer of the Renaissance based for most of his life in Flanders...
(ca. 1510-1556), RenaissanceRenaissanceThe Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
composerComposerA composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media... - Cornelius JansenCornelius JansenCorneille Janssens, commonly known by the Latinized name Cornelius Jansen or Jansenius, was Catholic bishop of Ypres and the father of a theological movement known as Jansenism.-Biography:...
(1585–1638), bishopBishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Ypres and father of the JansenismJansenismJansenism was a Christian theological movement, primarily in France, that emphasized original sin, human depravity, the necessity of divine grace, and predestination. The movement originated from the posthumously published work of the Dutch theologian Cornelius Otto Jansen, who died in 1638...
movement - Jules MalouJules MalouJules Edouard Xavier Malou was a Belgian statesman, a leader of the clerical party.He was born at Ypres. He was a civil servant in the department of justice when he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies by his native constituency in 1841, and was for some time governor of the province of Antwerp...
(1810–1886), politician, Prime Minister of Belgium from 1871 to 1878 and in 1884 - Alphonse Vandenpeereboom (1812–1884), politician, minister
- Albert Nyssens (1855–1901) Minister of Industry and Labour, Lawyer, University Professor,
- Julien Nyssens (1859–1910) Engineer, Builder of ZeebruggeZeebruggeZeebrugge is a village on the coast of Belgium and a subdivision of Bruges, for which it is the modern port. Zeebrugge serves as both the international port of Bruges-Zeebrugge and a seafront resort with hotels, cafés, a marina and a beach.-Location:...
harbour. - Albert DevèzeAlbert DevèzeAlbert Joseph Charles Devèze was a Belgian liberal politician and minister. Devèze was a doctor in law and a lawyer. He was a liberal municipality Council member in Schaerbeek and in Ixelles and a member of parliament for the district of Brussels and for the district of Verviers...
(1881–1959), politician, minister - Paul Sobry (1895–1954), University professor
- Simona NoorenberghSimona NoorenberghSister Simona Noorenbergh was a Belgian-born religious leader and community organizer.She was born in Ypres, Belgium in 1907...
(b. 1907 - Fane 1990), nun, social worker, co-founder of Fane, Papua New GuineaPapua New GuineaPapua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands... - Walter FiersWalter FiersWalter Fiers is a Belgian molecular biologist.He obtained a degree of Engineer for Chemistry and Agricultural Industries at the University of Ghent in 1954, and started his research career as an enzymologist in the laboratory of Laurent Vandendriessche in Ghent. In 1956-57, he worked with Heinz...
(b.Ypres, 1931), molecular biologist - Marc VervenneMarc VervenneMarc Vervenne is a Belgian theologian.From August 2005 till July 2009 he was the rector of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. In 2005, he won the elections for new rector in the third round on Tuesday 24 May 2005 by beating Rik Torfs with 50,81% to 49,19%. Before becoming rector, he was...
(1949- ), emeritus dean Leuven university - Jo Lernout and Pol Hauspie, founders of the speech technology company Lernout & HauspieLernout & HauspieLernout & Hauspie Speech Products, or L&H, was a leading Belgium-based speech recognition technology company, founded by Jo Lernout and Pol Hauspie, that went bankrupt in 2001...
- Henk LauwersHenk LauwersHenk Lauwers is a classical baritone singer , born in Ypres, Belgium in 1956As a very young boy soprano Lauwers performed under direction of Benjamin Britten his War Requiem. Later he studied classical flute but gained international fame as a classical baritone singer...
(b. 1956), classical baritone singer - Catherine VerfaillieCatherine VerfaillieCatherine M. Verfaillie is a Belgian molecular biologist and professor at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven . Her work on the ability of adult stem cells to differentiate to different cell types has garnered controversy due to accusations of poor laboratory practices and fabrication of data by...
(b. Ypres, 1957), MD and stem cell pioneer - Nicholas LensNicholas LensNicholas Lens is a contemporary Belgian author and composer.Lens was born in Ypres near the French border in Flanders, Belgium. His godfather taught him violin when he was five. He studied trumpet and double-bass, first at local academies and then at Royal conservatories. Later on he studied viola...
(b. 1957), author and composer - Renaat LanduytRenaat LanduytRenaat Julien Landuyt is a Belgian socialist politician. He is a member of the SP.A.Renaat Landuyt became a licentiate in law in 1982 and has been an attorney since then. He was first elected to the Belgian House of Representatives in 1991, where he served until 1999. From 1995 to 1999 he served...
(b. 1958), politicianPoliticianA politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, Belgian minister - Erik VermeulenErik VermeulenErik Vermeulen is a Belgian jazz pianist, born in Ypres in 1959. He entered the Belgian jazz scene when he was 22 with his trio. At the time, it featured Heyn Van de Geyn on bass and Dré Pallemaerts on drums...
(b. 1959), jazz pianist - Yves LetermeYves LetermeYves Camille Désiré Leterme is a Flemish Belgian politician, a leader of the Christian Democratic and Flemish party , and the 48th Prime Minister of Belgium.Leterme was the Prime Minister of Belgium from March 2008 to December 2008...
(b. 1960), Politician, prime ministerPrime ministerA prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
of Belgium
Twin cities
- SittingbourneSittingbourneSittingbourne is an industrial town about eight miles east of Gillingham in England, beside the Roman Watling Street off a creek in the Swale, a channel separating the Isle of Sheppey from mainland Kent...
, KentKentKent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
(since 1964): SiegenSiegenSiegen is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia.It is located in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in the Arnsberg region...
, Westfalen (since 1967): Saint-OmerSaint-OmerSaint-Omer , a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais. The town is named after Saint Audomar, who brought Christianity to the area....
, Pas-de-Calais (since 1969) AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
: Kelmscott, Western AustraliaKelmscott, Western AustraliaKelmscott is a southeastern suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Armadale, and it is located southeast of Perth along Albany Highway....
(since 1988)
External links
- Association for World War Archaeology; information about WW1 excavations near Ypres
- In Flanders Fields Museum
- Last Post Association
- Pilgrimage to Ypresand Sanctuary Wood
- The Second Battle of Ypres in Oral Histories of the First World War: Veterans 1914-1918 at Library and Archives Canada
- Mayors For Peace International Secretariat Ypres
- Webpage about the fortifications
- Ieper Official website - Information available in DutchDutch languageDutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
and limited information available in English