30 Oct '13

First World War remembrance draws Lonely Planet’s attention

Summary

Belgium is number eight in the Lonely Planet guidebook’s top 10 list of “2014’s most unmissable destinations”

Lonely Planet calls Belgium "Europe's underrated gem"

Belgium is number eight in the Lonely Planet guidebook’s top 10 list of “2014’s most unmissable destinations”. Described as “Europe’s underrated gem,” it is noted for its picturesque cities – Bruges, Antwerp and Ghent – as well as food and drink, countryside, coast and culture.
 

The forthcoming commemoration of the First World War is a major attraction, according to the travel guide. “From 2014, a huge influx of visitors is expected due to the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of WWI – a festival of remembrance lasting until 2018 – which may change preconceptions,” the site says.

Food and shopping also get a mention: “Belgo-newbies will find medieval towns where culture and gastronomy meet, with Gothic buildings, paintings by Breugel, Van Eyck and Magritte, canals and cool shops.”

The list is headed by Brazil, followed by Antarctica, Scotland, Sweden, Malawi, Mexico, the Seychelles, Belgium, Macedonia and Malaysia.

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First World War

Claiming the lives of more than nine million people and destroying entire cities and villages in Europe, the Great War was one of the most dramatic armed conflicts in human history. It lasted from 1914 to 1918.
Flanders Field - For four years, a tiny corner of Flanders known as the Westhoek became one of the war’s major battlefields.
Untouched - Poperinge, near Ypres, was one of the few towns in Flanders that remained unoccupied for most of the war.
Cemetery - The Tyne Cot graveyard in Passchendaele is the largest Commonwealth cemetery in the world.
550 000

lives lost in West Flanders

368 000

annual visitors to the Westhoek

1 914

First Battle of Ypres

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