Ypres City Guide
Ypres is situated in West Flanders and historically was an important textile town. The medieval town was badly damaged during the war, as it was located on the front line. Many of the historic buildings have been rebuilt.
What to do and see in and around Ypres
The Cloth Hall
The impressive Cloth Hall overlooks the Market Square, the building was destroyed during WWI but was carefully and beautifully restored. The gigantic Hall used to be a market hall for the famous Ypres cloth, today the Flanders Fields museum is housed there.
In Flanders Field Museum
The In Flanders Field Museum located in the Cloth Hall is a modern and interactive museum, where visitors can “experience” the daily life of soldiers and civilians during World War I.
Please note: In Flanders Field Museum closed for 3 weeks every January – from the first Monday after New Year.
Tyne Cot Cemetery
Perhaps the largest cemetery in the Ypres Area, Tyne Cot (named after the River Tyne and an abbreviation for the cottage that marks the entrance to the cemetery) holds just under 12,000 graves of soldiers of the Commonwealth Forces, although a large proportion were British soldiers, all of whom were buried between October 1914 and September 1918.
The Great War and the Battlefields
Ypres was on "the Western front" during World War I, and most of the town was destroyed. There are numerous war cemeteries in the area around Ypres, the largest being the Tyne Cot cemetery where many British soldiers lie. Local companies organise to battlefields and memorials.
Menin Gate
The Menin Gate is a large neoclassical gate was designed by British architect Sir Reginald Bloomfield which was finished in 1927. Every night the Ypres Fire Department plays “The Last Post” in honour of the fallen soldiers.
Saint Martin’s Cathedral
Saint Martin's Church was badly damaged during World War I, but material from the damaged church was collected and used to reconstruct this beautiful medieval church. Decorations from different periods can be found throughout the church.
Saint-George’s Memorial Church
Saint-George’s Memorial Church was designed by the British architect Sir Reginald Bloomfield. The church was to serve the British colony that had remained in Belgium after the war and stands as a memorial to the soldiers who died in the area.
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