In Flanders Fields
Ypres’ WWI experience is told in a poignant museum that is located in the Belgian city’s beautiful Cloth Hall
Named after John Mccrae’s famous poem, the In Flanders Fields Museum is located in the Belgian city of Ypres. During the First World War, Ypres was the centre of five bloody battles between Allied and German forces. These battles saw the first mass use of poison gas in warfare as well as hundreds of thousands of casualties. This included the third battle, better known as Passchendaele, which resulted in perhaps as many as 800,000 casualties.
An ancient city, Ypres was almost completely destroyed during the war, although it was substantially rebuilt. Known as ‘Wipers’ by British soldiers, Ypres was awarded the Military Cross by King George V in 1920. For British and Dominion veterans, the city symbolically represented what they fought for, with one Canadian officer writing: “There is not a single half-acre in Ypres that is not sacred.” It remains a place of military pilgrimage and Ypres is informally known as the ‘City of Peace’.
Established in 1998, the In Flanders Field Museum is located in Ypres’ reconstructed medieval Cloth Hall. It presents the story of the First World War in the West Flanders region with a message dedicated to peace. Providing a general introduction to the war, the museum also references other nearby military museums such as the Canadian Hill 62
Memorial and the Lange Max Museum. Personal stories from the war are represented by many nationalities with interactive displays, artefacts and exhibits. Visitors can also climb the Cloth Hall’s bell tower for views over the city (including the Menin Gate) and surrounding battlefields.