The Destruction of Ypres During The First World War

During The First World War, the age-old Belgium market town of Ypres was in a strategically crucial spot near the British front lines and it is among the more infamous areas along the Western Front a result of the horrendous battles which occurred here.

The city had been in the centre of the Ypres Salient, an area of the lines protruding towards German lines. Historically, Ypres could possibly be traced back to the 12th century. Regardless of ages of fighting and occupation, Ypres grew but the outbreak of The First World War, the town under German occupation.

The 1st Battle of Ypres in the course of October and November 1914 saw Britain and her Allies retake Ypres from the German Army and irrespective of heavy fighting around Ypres until finally World War I finished in 1918, the Germans did not retake the town.

Nevertheless, for the duration of the 4 years of The First World War, the city took a fearful cost while four big battles took place about here. During the Second Battle of Ypres in April and May 1915, the Germans recaptured the high ridge towards the east of the town. The region contained the village of Passchendaele.

In 1917, one of the most deadly struggles of the First World War happened. The 3rd Battle of Ypres or Passchendaele saw Britain and her Allies recapture the high ground unfortunately for a terrible cost. Between July and November 1917, there was over half a million dead and injured on both sides and Ypres was just about destroyed by German heavy guns.

The well-known Cloth Hall and many other properties were destroyed and years of heritage were gone. In 1933, reconstruction started on the Cloth Hall and it was eventually finished in 1967 having been meticulously rebuilt to restore its heritage. Nowadays, the Cloth Hall in Ypres houses the In Flanders Fields Museum.

During The First World War, the Menin Gate was no more than an exit cut from the eastern ramparts of Ypres. The majority of troops would’ve gone through this exit en route towards the front lines. In 1927, the Menin Gate Memorial was unveiled. It commemorates the names of around 54,000 soldiers who are still missing on the battlegrounds in and around the Ypres Salient and each night, the Last Post ceremony takes place here at 8pm by the grateful citizens of Ypres.