9 Best Sights in Ypres, Bruges and the Coast

The powerful interactive displays in the In Flanders Fields Museum preserve the terrors of trench warfare and the memory of those who died in nearby fields. The museum focuses on World War I, but expands to the universal theme of war. Computer screens, sound effects, scale models, and videos realistically portray the weapons, endless battles, and numerous casualties of the area’s wars. Each visitor receives a “smart card” with details of a soldier or civilian and follows that person’s fortunes throughout the war. The museum is housed on the second floor of the magnificent Lakenhallen (Cloth Hall) on the Grote Markt, a copy of the original 1304 building. If you climb the 264 steps in the square belfry, the view of turrets, towns, and fields seems endless. There are smart cards and other information in English. The museum also maintains casualty databases, which can be used by the public.

In Zonnebeke, 7 km (4½ miles) east from Ypres (take the N37), this museum is, simply put, a must-see. It houses the largest public collection of World War I memorabilia in western Flanders. Weapons, uniforms, documents, and photographs re-create the tragedy of the Third Battle of Ypres, also known as Passchendaele. You can even smell the different types of poison gas that were used. The cellar holds a realistic reconstruction of a dugout, a subterranean camp that lodged soldiers during the war; it was, according to one of them, “one of the most disgusting places I ever lived in.” Outdoors there are short sections of reconstructed trenches, both Allied and German.

About 100 yards east of the Grote Markt, the Menin Gate (Menenpoort) is among the most moving of war memorials. It was built near the old Menin gate, which stood along the route Allied soldiers took toward the front line. Troops on the “Menin road” endured brutal, insistent German artillery attacks; one section was dubbed “Hellfire Corner.” After World War I, the British built the vast arch in memory of the 300,000 soldiers who perished in this corridor. The names of some 55,000 soldiers who died before August 15, 1917, and whose bodies were missing, are inscribed. Since 1928, every night at 8, traffic is stopped at the Menin gate as the Last Post is blown on silver bugles, gifts of the British Legion. The practice was interrupted during World War II, but it was resumed the night Polish troops liberated the town, September 6, 1944. Be sure to witness this truly breathtaking experience.

Twenty-five kilometers (16 miles) north of Ypres, close to Diksmuide—a town, which, like Ypres, was completely flattened during World War I—you can visit the so-called Dodengang (Trench of Death), a network of trenches on the banks of the IJzer river where Belgian troops faced and held off their German adversaries for four years. Make sure to dress warmly on a cold day, as the wind tends to add some extra drama by howling across the plain. Depending on the weather you may also need waterproof footwear. The Dodengang is only a mile or so from the Museum aan de IJzer, making it easy to combine a visit to both.

Head 5 km (3 miles) east from Ypres along the N8, then follow the signs via Canadalaan and Sanctuary Wood to Hill '62, an old-fashioned museum and dusty café. In addition to photographs, weapons, and assorted objects salvaged from the battlefield, the owner has preserved some of the original trenches on his land. They were part of a tunnel complex that stretched from the coast at Nieuwpoort to the French-Swiss border (at least 600 km [400 miles]). The ground is muddy even on sunny days, so you might need boots to inspect them.

In Zillebeke, 6 km (4 miles) east from Ypres, this museum is installed in an old chapel. Items on display include bombs, grenades, rifles, and uniforms. More than 6,500 British soldiers lie in the cemetery across the street.

At the western edge of Diksmuide, some 23 km (15 miles) north from Ypres, and just a mile south from the Dodengang (above), the centerpiece of this memorial site is the IJzertoren, a 275-foot tower, rebuilt in 1965 to honor defenders and casualties from both world wars and to represent the Flemish struggle for autonomy. The giant letters on the monument beside the tower (AVV-VVK), mean “Everything for Flanders, Flanders for Christ.” The 22-story tower houses a museum chronicling the two wars and the emancipation of Flanders using images, text, and sound. The top floor and the roof terrace provide a splendid view of the entire area.

Three kilometers (2 miles) north from the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917, the British cemetery Tyne Cot is---with almost 12,000 graves---the largest and best known of more than 170 military cemeteries in the area. In its awe-inspiring austerity, it evokes the agony of anonymous and unknown losses. A significant majority of the graves here are for unidentified casualties, and a curving wall lists the names of nearly 35,000 Commonwealth soldiers killed after August 1917 whose bodies and graves vanished in the turmoil of war. A large cross stands atop one of the German pillbox bunkers for which the site was named; British troops trying to gain the ridge dubbed it a cot, or cottage.

Sharing the magnificent Lakenhallen (Cloth Hall) building with the In Flanders Fields Museum, the Yper Museum stands in sharp contrast to its neighbor, in that it shifts the focus away from the tragic events of World War I. Instead, the exhibits tells the story of the town's development from medieval times to the 20th century, using myths, legends, archaeological finds, and more than a dash of knowing humor. The only nod to more recent history is an exhibit about Léontine Pemeke (1858–1923), a photographer who moved to Ypres in 1887 and documented its buildings and people before, during, and after the 1914–18 conflict.