There’s no time to waste at the castle of Zonnebeke in the Westhoek region of West Flanders, the location of the museum that commemorates the Great War of 1914-1918 and, more specifically, the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917, when hundreds of thousands of British, Canadian and German soldiers perished in the mud for a meagre advance of eight kilometres.
In the course of the next year, the museum garden will display a war scene with six types of trenches and five different hiding places. “We have ordered an extensive study to assure that they are as historically correct as possible,” says curator Franky Bostyn. The walking path through the tight wooden gangways will be 400 meters long.
The trenches add to what is meant to be a realistic portrayal of the war. The museum already goes some way with the simulation of a dug-out, for now its greatest attraction, an underground passage similar to those where British soldiers used to live like moles underground because everything above was shot to pieces. Scenes with dummies demonstrate how they slept, congregated, communicated with the outside world and cared for the wounded.
When asked whether this approach doesn’t lean towards entertainment, Bostyn is clear. “Our priority is to explain the historical events as accurately as possible,” he says. “But to attract a large crowd, the tour will also have to be lively and fun.” During the year, he says, they organise historical debates at the castle, rugby matches and Scottish military music spectacles known as tattoos. “We want to get everybody hooked.”
Also in full swing is the preparation of an exhibition of the Battle of Passchendaele. Photographs, films, paraphernalia and information panels explain the tale of the battlefield and the nations that fought on these grounds. The exhibition ends with a presentation of how people have kept the memory alive. “Ever since the war ended nearly 100 years ago,” Bostyn says, “there have been remembrance initiatives and war tourism.”
The expansion of the museum is part of “100 Jaar Groote Oorlog” (100 Years Great War), the Flemish government commemoration of the centenary of the First World War. All kinds of events will take place during the period of 2014-2018, and the Flemish tourism department is handing out subsidies for the renovation of war site infrastructures. The lion’s share, of course, goes to the Westhoek region, where most of the battlefields are located. €800,000 went to the development of the Passchendaele museum and €1.9 million to the master plan “Legacy of Passchendaele” with a total budget of €4.6 million.
The master plan, to be completed in 2014, reorganises the tourism bureau and opens up the whole area of the battlefield for tourists. Starting from the castle of Zonnebeke, two walking routes will connect all the historical war sites of the region: one towards the south to Polygon Wood and one towards the north to Tyne Cot cemetery, the biggest military cemetery of the Commonwealth with almost 12,000 graves. It draws more than 180,000 visitors every year. There are also plans for biking routes and car facilities. “With moderate adjustments to the landscape, we hope to transform the former battlefield into a historical recreation area,” explains Bostyn. Furthermore, the castle park will be enlarged from 10 to 25 hectares and visitors from nations that fought in the battle will be able to walk around their own national Passchendaele garden, with particular vegetation, monuments and works of art.
Almost half of the visitors to the museum come from the Commonwealth, most of them from the UK. “The British have a strong remembrance tradition and they cherish their history as a global empire,” Bostyn says. “But thanks to improved transportation, we also welcome more and more guests from their former colonies, like Australia, New Zealand and Canada.”
These nations were still fighting under British command from 1914 to 1918, but did achieve some form of independence during and after the war. Bostyn recalls the visit in 2007 of Helen Clark, the then prime minister of New Zealand. “She said that their history doesn’t begin when the first British settlers arrived on their territory,” he says, “but when New Zealanders fought as a separate unit in Flanders. Their dead have never been repatriated, so they come here to honour the graves of those who fought for their freedom.”
The Memorial Museum Passchendaele even goes as far as to set up partnerships with those countries. The strongest bond today is with Australia. In July, the Australian MP Warren Snowdon paid a visit to the museum with a cheque of €200,000. Passchendaele has now joined the official Australian Remembrance Trail, which connects and improves visitor facilities at Australian war sites along the former Western Front in West Flanders and northern France.
Flanders Today and WM Tours invite you to join us for a tour of West Flanders’ First World War sites with former soldier and battlefield historian Willie Mohan, plus a visit to the famous Poperinge Beer Festival
· Tyne Cot cemetery, Passchendaele
The largest Commonwealth war cemetery in the world
· Talbot House, Poperinge
Legendary sanctuary for British soldiers in Poperinge
· Poperinge Beer Festival
Belgium’s most prestigious celebration of its kind
· St George’s Memorial Church, Ypres
Built in 1927-1929 for grieving family and survivors
· In Flanders Fields Museum, Ypres
Visit the famous First World War museum before it closes for renovations
· The Last Post
The final salute that is still played every night at the Menin Gate Memorial
Tour is in English
Tour bus departs from Schuman area in Brussels
Cost: €55 - includes transport, guide, entry to Talbot House and lunch
Register by 7 September via email at [email protected]
You’ll receive information about payment after you register
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