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In de herfst van 1914 verandert de oorlog, die later de Grote
Oorlog en nog later de Eerste Wereldoorlog zou heten, van karakter:
het is niet langer een bewegingsoorlog, maar een stellingenoorlog.
Het front loopt vast van Nieuwpoort tot de Zwitserse grens. Ieper
is het laatste gat dat gedicht moet worden. Reeds op 22 november
1914 worden de bekendste monumenten van de stad, de Lakenhallen en
de Sint-Maartenskerk, in brand geschoten. In de vier jaren die
volgen wordt de volledige binnenstad van de kaart geveegd. In de
winter van 1918-1919 kan een man te paard gewoon over de stad heen
kijken. Tijdens de oorlog is de hele bevolking van Ieper gevlucht
of, vanaf mei 1915, verplicht geevacueerd. reeds enkele weken voor
de wapenstilstand keren de eerste bewoners terug. Zij die willen,
wonen in een totaal vernietigde stad en moeten zich met zeer weinig
behelpen. Met brokstukken uit het puin en achtergelaten oorlogstuig
bouwen ze een eerste woning. Tien jaar na de wapenstilstand lijkt
het alsof hier nooit een oorlog heeft gewoed. Nagenoeg alle huizen
zijn heropgebouwd - slechts hier en daar blijft er een gat in het
stedelijk weefsel. Deze wandeling - die ongeveer 2 uur duurt -
neemt u mee langsheen de meest typische voorbeelden van de Ieperse
naoorlogse bouwstijl, maar toont ook de meest frappante afwijkingen
hiervan.
The first indepth history of Langemark German Cemetery to be
published with the English speaking visitor in mind,
Studetenfriedhof to Soldatenfriedhof tells the story of the
evolution of Langemark German cemetery from its creation in the
Great War, the influence of the Nazis before and during WW2 and its
evolution into the modern cemetery of today. Dispelling many of the
myths and legends that surround the cemetery, Studetenfriedhof to
Soldatenfriedhof takes the visitor on a detailed self-guided tour,
following the route planned by its designer in the early 1930's.
The clever use of "then and now" images helps the visitor visualise
the evolution of the cemetery and explains the "who, what and why"
of it all whilst walking in the footsteps of the past.
Once the steel storm of the industrial war had passed, the idyllic
Flanders Fields region in Belgium was left as a desolate moon
landscape. The First World War had wiped dozens of villages and
cities completely off the map. The fields had been destroyed by
grenades, mine craters, scrap, trenches, bunkers, railways and
infrastructure of the war machine. But Flanders Fields rose again,
like a Phoenix from the ashes. Even before the end of the war, the
first people returned to their previous homes. A traditional
architecture was supposed to remove all traces from the war and
restore the former beauty of the area. With the first fairs and
processions from 1919 onwards, the social fabric started to heal.
Pilgrims started to come from all the corners of the earth to visit
the many memorials and cemeteries. By the end of the twenties the
reconstruction was largely finished. It is this post-war
reconstruction that continues to define the characteristics of the
region to this very day. This book has been published to
commemorate the centenary of the recovery as guide for iconic sites
of reconstruction, thematic exhibitions, public events, and walking
and cycle routes that will take you to many striking sites of the
reconstruction in the Westhoek. It also contains an historical
overview of the revival of a region so heavily scourged by the
Great War and new insights a century on.
The First World War brought peoples from five continents to support
the British and French Allies on the Western Front. Many were from
colonial territories in the British and French empires, and the
largest contingents were Indians and Chinese - some 140,000\. It is
a story of the encounter with the European 'other', including the
civilian European local populations, often marred by racism,
discrimination and zenophobia both inside and outside the military
command, but also lightened by moving and enduring 'human' social
relationships. The vital contribution to the Alles and the huge
sacrifices involved were scarcely recognised at the Paris Peace
Conference in 1918 or the post-war victory celebrations and this
led to resentment - see huge media coverage in 2021\. The effect of
the European 'other' experience enhanced Asian political awareness
and self-confidence, and stimulated anti-imperialism and
proto-nationalism. This is a vivid and original contribution to
imperial decline from the First World War. and the originality of
the work is enhanced by rare sources culled from original documents
and 'local' European fieldwork - in French, German and Flemish.
During the First World War the old medieval City of Ypres was the
centre of one of the most notorious battlefields of war: the Ypres
Salient. As early as 22 November 1914, the most famous monuments of
the town, the Cloth Hall and St Martin's Church, were ablaze. Over
the following four years, the entire town centre would be wiped off
the map. In the winter of 1918-1919, a man on a horse was able to
look right across the town. There remained just a few houses more
or less still upright here and there. During the war, the whole
population of Ypres fled or, from May 1915, was forcibly evacuated.
But the first residents were already returning several weeks before
the armistice. Those willing to return found themselves living in a
totally destroyed town where all but nothing remained. They used
fragments of the debris and abandoned war machinery to build their
first homes. Ten years after the armistice, it looked like the town
had never been witness to any war. Practically all houses had been
rebuilt. Today Ypres is generally considered one of the best
examples of post-conflict reconstruction. Full of stories of
resilience and regeneration, this walk - which lasts about 2 hours
- takes you by the most typical examples of Ypres' post-war
architecture, but also shows the most striking deviations.
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