The Cloth Hall originally built in 13th century but destroyed by German invaders during WW1 was rebuilt by 1967, Ypres Belgium. WW1 - Ypres Centre There are many relics that remind of the four war years, 1914-1918, to be found in the Ypres region, such as sites, monuments, cemeteries and landscapes. Black & White image of the clock tower at the Cloth Hall in the Grote Square, Ypres. To appreciate just what this building represents to the citizens of Ypres, the visitor should be encouraged to seek out pictures of the Cloth Hall gradually being reduced to ruin by shelling between 1915 and 1918 and compare these with the marvellous building that now mimics its earlier predecessor. Located in the centre of the city of Ypres, as a building it echoed back to the period when Ypres was the centre of the European cloth trade and merchants from all over the continent came here to buy and sell their goods. The Cloth Hall dominates the Market Square in Ypres and also houses the excellent ‘In Flanders Fields’ exhibition and the tourist information centre. If you're in the area of Ypres you will realise what an impact WW1 has had on our region. The Cloth Hall formed the heart of Ypres during the war, and remains so today. Explore more WW1 battlefield destinations in Ypres and the Battles of Ypres. Modern visitors find it incredible to gaze on these two buildings today and think that not only were they once in this state by they were almost just rubble by the end of the war. Really a must visit for everyone! The Cloth Hall was, as one guidebook described it, ‘one of the medieval gems of Europe’. WW1 Landmarks: The Cloth Hall, Ypres. The Cloth Hall dominates the Market Square in Ypres and also houses the excellent ‘In Flanders Fields’ exhibition and the tourist information centre. While it is likely they were originally taken for intelligence purposes these images had been transferred to postcard as souvenirs for soldiers at the front. Totally destroyed by shelling in World War one, this building was faithfully rebuilt after that conflict. It also enabled us to get a good understanding of the landscape and the difficulty of. The Cloth Hall was, as one guidebook described it, ‘one of the medieval gems of Europe’. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Ypres was gradually rebuilt, using the original medieval plans, but it took time – the Cloth Hall was not finished, for example, until the early 1960s. As the war moved on gradually more and more of it was reduced to ruins or collapsed, so that by the end of the war this magnificent building was a shell of its former self. The exibits are well laid out, the interactice wrist bands bring it to life. The Cloth Hall in Ypres before and after WW1. By 1914 the population of Ypres stood at 17,500. Many bus stops are dotted around the busy area and you can take the train to Station Ieper, a 10-minute walk west of the site. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. Exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1919 (No 93). However, this was not willingly accepted by all of the local people in Ypres and after two years it was ag… Flanking one of the doors to the Cloth Hall are two memorials. The Cloth Hall, Ypres, 1918. It has once been the centre of the European cloth trade and home to numerous stalls selling cloth from across the globe. Aerial imagery of the Great War gives a fascinating insight into the battlefields of WW1 and this week on the site we will feature three German images showing different locations on the Western Front. I climb all 231 steps top of the bell tower for a better view of the Ypres Salient battlefields. It is obviously very sombre, but it is very uplifting, just being there instills a sense of calm. In the tourist information centre, the visitor to the city will find a good range of souvenirs and reading material about this historic city and again may see the bases of some of the columns which support the building. During the First World War (1914-1918), the British sector of the Western Front extended north into the Flanders region in southern Belgium. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in United Kingdom. Ypres – the Cloth Hall today . Totally destroyed by shelling in World War one, this building was faithfully rebuilt after that conflict. The Cloth Hall was never deliberately targeted but shells struck it during the First Battle of Ypres and in November 1914 it caught fire. The Ypres Cloth Hall was one of the medieval gems of Europe prior to 1914. The Cloth Hall in Ypres, Belgium: 1918 and today:poppy: 11/11. The original structure, erected mainly in the 13th century and completed 1304, lay in ruins after artillery fire devastated Ypres in World War I. Its original function was a watch tower, with the bells a means of warning of fires, invasion or other dangers. The Cloth Hall today is home to In Flanders Fields Museum, dedicated to Ypres's role in the First World War and named for the poem by John McCrae. And it is indeed these two buildings that feature in the centre of this image; the Cloth Hall on the right, by this stage a shell, and St Martin’s Cathedral above it still recognisable but also a shell. By this stage of the war Ypres had seen two major battles – First and Second Ypres – and the buildings come under a terrible hail of shells of every calibre up to 420mm: one account of a commander based at nearby Potijze in early 1915 recalled watching 420mm shells descend on the Cloth Hall and St Martin’s Cathedral and take huge chunks out of these buildings: both part of what pre-war guidebooks called a ‘medieval gem’. 07/05/2012 | Categories: Belgium, Flanders, Great War, Western Front, Ypres | Tags: 1916, Aerial Photo, Cloth Hall, Flanders, Ieper, WW1, Ypres | 1 Comment, Continuing with the series of post-WW1 stereo cards showing the battlefields as they were in the early 1920s. , just being there instills a sense of calm art WW1 Soldats Canadiens Peinture... The Rhineland from 1919 the British EXPEDITIONARY FORCE on the gun 13th century impact has... 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