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Poperinge

municipality in West Flanders, Belgium

16km

50.852.7333

Bruges

municipality in West Flanders, Belgium

45km

51.20943.2249

Hauts-de-France

Hauts-de-France is the northernmost region of France, located to the north of the French capital Paris and situated on the English Channel at the point closest to England. The region also fronts much of the French border with Belgium. The area is sadly known for its central part in the trench warfare of the First World War (1914-1918), perhaps most notoriously the Battle of the Somme, which lasted four and a half months during which more than one million men and women lost their lives. Unsurprisingly, Hauts-de-France hosts a large number of battlefields, war cemeteries and memorials. Less well-known, but still worth your time are the region's many belfries and Gothic churches, and the remnants of France's industrial heartland. Hauts-de-France was created in 2016 by merging Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy.

68km

49.92062.703
Sights (23)

Ypres Cloth Hall

290m

50.85122.8858

Museum Godshuis Belle

art museum and gallery in West Flanders, Belgium

323m

50.84972.8862

Menin Gate

Dedicated on 24 July 1927 as a memorial to the missing British and Commonwealth soldiers who fell in Belgium during World War One. Has a Last Post Ceremony each night at 20:00 as a way for the Ypres citizens to express their gratitude towards those who died for Belgium's freedom.

943m

50.852222222.89166667

Battle of Hill 60 (Western Front)

A well-preserved World War I battle site that changed sides repeatedly. There area covered in craters. There was also a large amount of tunneling during the war which adds to the uneven terrain. The memorial to the 1st Australian Tunneling Co contains bullet holes from World War II.

5.7km

50.821388892.93166667

Langemark German war cemetery

The cemetery, which evolved from a small group of graves from 1915, has seen numerous changes and extensions. It was dedicated in 1932. Today, visitors find a mass grave near the entrance. This comrades' grave contains 24,917 servicemen, including the Ace Werner Voss. Between the oak trees, next to this mass grave, are another 10,143 soldiers (including 2 British soldiers killed in 1918). The 3,000 school students who were killed during the First Battle of Ypres are buried in a third part of the cemetery. At the rear of the cemetery is a sculpture of four mourning figures by Professor Emil Krieger. The group was added in 1956, and is said to stand guard over the fallen. The cemetery is maintained by the German War Graves Commission, the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge.

6.2km

50.920555562.91666667

Bellewaerde

Bellewaerde was established in 1954 as a zoo and safari park. The park evolved into a theme park. Bellewaerde attracts 850,000-900,000 visitors a year and is one of the main theme parks in Flanders.

6.9km

50.848333332.94555556

Tyne Cot

The largest Commonwealth Wargraves Commission cemetery in the world, situated to the south of the village of Passendale. There are also many more smaller Commonwealth cemeteries dotted around the region as well.

13km

50.886944442.99805556

West Flanders

province in Flanders, Belgium

16km

513

Vleteren

municipality in West Flanders, Belgium

17km

50.933333332.73333333

Ten Wijngaerde (Begijnhof Brugge)

In the history, many women couldn't find a man, as men were more likely to die in accidents or in a war. Those women could "marry God" and become a beguine. The beguinage, also known as the convent, offered protection for those single ladies. It lies between the centre of the city and the station, with white painted small houses and fine plane trees, is a quiet place to walk - groups are discouraged.

45km

51.201222223.22255556

Old St. John's Hospital

Sint-Janshospitaal contains a museum of six paintings by Hans Memling, within the early medieval hospital buildings.

45km

51.2043.224

Church of Our Lady, Bruges

A fascinating church with architecture from the Romanesque and Gothic periods. In the east end of the church are very fine tombs of Charles the Bold and his daughter Mary of Burgundy - in contrasting Gothic and Renaissance styles, despite their superficial similarity. The church also houses one of the few Michelangelo sculptures outside of Italy, the "Madonna with child". To see the "Madonna with Child" an entrance fee of €5 for 18 to 26, 26 to 64 is €6, over 65 is €5, and under 17 is free.

45km

51.204722223.22444444

Groeningemuseum

Known as 'The city museum of Fine Arts', it houses a collection of artworks that span several centuries (14th-20th), focusing mainly on works by painters who lived and worked in Bruges.

45km

51.206111113.22638889

Basilica of the Holy Blood

A beautiful church on the Burg square. It houses a relic - a vial of blood that is said to be that of Jesus - and was built in the Gothic style. Try and get there early so you can view the chapel when it is quiet and not filled with tourists. And don't forget to visit the chapel underneath, in heavy Romanesque style - a contrast to the lovely light Gothic above.

45km

51.208166673.22672222

Choco-Story

This museum is a must see for chocolate enthusiasts as it describes chocolate's transition from cocoa into chocolate. Its low-cost tasty exhibits make it well worth the time (and Belcolade's gently overt marketing). Be sure to stay for the chocolate making exhibition to get some excellent samplers.

45km

51.210555563.22611111

Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst

contemporary art museum in Ghent, Belgium

92km

51.038055563.70388889

Graslei

street in Ghent, Belgium

94km

51.0553.72083333

Campo Santo, Ghent

This monumental cemetery is located on a small hill in the suburb of Sint-Amandsberg. Many famous and important Belgians that lived in Ghent are buried here.

97km

51.06453.7498

Dour

Walloon municipality in Hainaut, Belgium

104km

50.43.78333333

Maison Van Gogh

Cuesmoise the house where he lived from August 1879 to October 1880, was saved from ruin in the 1970s and is now accessible to the public.

119km

50.441388893.92527778

Belfry of Mons

Classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site, dates from the 17th century and is the only Baroque-style belfry in Belgium.

121km

50.454166673.95011111

Neolithic flint mines of Spiennes

You can visit a silex mine dating back to the Neolithic period. This is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

125km

50.430773.97879

Binche

city in Hainaut, Belgium

146km

50.44.16666667
Nature

we will see

Ypres

Belgium
Someday we will visit Ypres or begin to dream about going there! However, for now its not on our radar. Let us know in the comments if you think that should change!

Ypres

Ypres is a friendly town of 35,000 inhabitants in Flanders endowed with wonderful architecture and a troubled past. Ypres is best known as the site of three major battles of the First World War, the most famous being the Battle of Passchendaele from July—November 1917. The many memorials and cemeteries of the fallen in and around Ypres draw thousands of visitors each year. The belfry of Ypres is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Though Ypres is an historic city, and generates significant income from tourism, it also has a number of industrial areas. The biggest one is along the Ieperlee canal, which hosts room for around 120 companies and a wind farm in the north of Ypres.

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Climate

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