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.

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.

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.