"IEPER - YPRES, The City of Peace" Ieper by Martinewezel

Ieper Travel Guide: 479 reviews and 1,208 photos

In Flanders' Fields

The Westhoek is the name of the western part of Flanders. It is flat, soggy country where people speak Flemish, a kind of Dutch. Flanders (Vlaanderen in Flemish) holds old and famous cities like Antwerp, Bruges and Ypres. It is ancient battleground. For centuries the fields of Flanders have been soaked with blood.

Wherever you visit the battlefields of the great war in the Westhoek, you'll find poppies. They became the symbol of the Great War's poetry.

Why poppies?

"One of the most asked questions is: why poppies? The answer is simple: poppies only flower when everything else in the neighbourhood is dead. Their seeds can lie on the ground for years and years, and only when there are no more competing flowers or shrubs in the vicinity (for instance when someone firmly roots up the ground), these seeds will sprout. There was enough rooted up soil on the battlefield of the Western Front; in fact the whole front consisted of churned up soil. So in May 1915, when McCrae wrote his famous poem In Flanders' Fields, around him poppies blossomed like no one had ever seen before."

A little history

Grand Place - Ypres

Early in the 12th century, Ypres became one of the most important cities of the county of Flanders.

Together with its rivals Brugge and Gent, the city lived of cloth manufacture and cloth trade.

The 14th century was marked with a lot of political and social unrest and announced the end of Ypres' prosperity.
Shortage of wool, reduction of the consuming markets, the epidemic of 1316... Ieper went through a period of decline.

In the 17th and 18th centuries the city was changed by its successive occupiers into a giant fortress.
the architect Vauban, built large defense walls built around the city and the city fell asleep, loosing all it's strategic and economic importance.

The town came again into the spotlights during the First World War. Ypres was situated right in the middle of the frontline between the Germans and the Allied troops. An almost complete destruction of the city was the result.

After the war, it took more than 40 years to totally rebuild the city. Now Ypres is even more beautiful than before.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Restored after being damaged in WWI, and still as beautiful as before.
Cons:No parking space on Saturday (market day)
In a nutshell:The operating base for WWI salient tours

Last visit to Ieper: May 2006
Intro Updated Feb 24, 2011
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Reviews (13)

Just good food Restaurants (1)

The restaurant looks as a typical Flemish café. Bar in the middle and wooden tables along the walls. The food is no-... more travel advice

Memorial Museum of Passchendaele Off The Beaten Path (4)

This museum about the Great War and the battle of Passchendaele is new since 2004. The location, in the Normandy- style... more travel advice

Visit one of the multiple cemeteries in... Off The Beaten Path (4)

We visited the British "Canada Farm cemetery" in Elverdinghe, between Ypres and Poperinge. It's just one of multiple... more travel advice

The "In Flanders Fields Route" Off The Beaten Path (4)

It's a signposted car route of 82 kilometers, which opens up the region of Ieper, Heuvelland, Zonnebeke and Poperinge... more travel advice

Shopping (1)
Chocolate or beer?

Things to Do (7)
See All The ramparts

Travelogues (1)

Written Jan 28, 2005

1 photo

Ypres

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Comments (16)

hunterV May 21, 2009 at 8:29 AM Report Abuse

I adore the architecture....It's another great place with a lot of history that I heard of...
BillNJ Aug 14, 2008 at 12:22 AM Report Abuse

Thanks for the overview of this area. I especially like the explanation about poppies -- and the poem "In Flanders Fields". I also would like to get one of those beer bottles made of chocolate!
Nemorino Feb 26, 2008 at 2:25 AM Report Abuse

Great idea to get an "ID" card at the Flanders Fields Museum of someone who was in WWI and follow this person and his experiences. So it's not just a bunch of statistics, but the fate of a real person. Good that it is possible to rent a bike in Ypres.
Sininen Nov 16, 2007 at 9:49 AM Report Abuse

Such sad history, but very interesting page. I really must visit Belgium again one day and see more of it.
Jim_Eliason Sep 19, 2007 at 6:15 AM Report Abuse

great tips!
hindu1936 Feb 7, 2007 at 6:53 PM Report Abuse

On our trip through Europe, we had planned on stopping in Belgium to see the battlefields and castles. Your good pages help a lot. thanks
filipdebont Nov 11, 2006 at 6:43 AM Report Abuse

Leuke Ieper page, Martine, ik ben een beetje beschaamd, ik woon zo dicht bij Ieper en ik heb het Flanders Field Museum nog nooit bezocht . .
magor65 Nov 23, 2005 at 2:21 AM Report Abuse

A very interesting page. It's true about the poppies - they also appear in many Polish war songs and poems... " red poppies on Monte Cassino that drank Polish blood instead of dew".
australia2 Nov 18, 2005 at 3:09 PM Report Abuse

Wonderful pictures, great information. Extremely well done. We watched evening ceremony at Menin Gate and were proud of the Australian names there. I cannot understand why VT search for Ypres fails! It should be both.Yes?
Helga67 Jun 15, 2005 at 12:39 PM Report Abuse

1 van die plaatsjes in België die ik zeker nog eens moet bezoeken. Goede info.