Ieper (Ypres) in the Great War of 1914-1918
On 7th October 1914 about 8,000 cavalrymen and soldiers of an Imperial German cavalry division arrived in Ieper (Ypres) and ordered thousands of loaves of bread paying for them in German coins and pre-printed German food coupons. They also emptied the town’s coffers.
The first British soldiers arrived on the 14 October 1914 lead by General Rawlinson. As this time the town inhabitant were carrying on as usual. The soldiers were very tired after a 2 day march from Ghent and they were billeted within the local houses to get some rest.
The task of these soldiers was to defend the town and block the German Army from getting to the French and Belgian ports.
The soldiers in the British Army quickly turned the French name of Ypres into a much easier word to pronounce, “Wipers”. The British Army remained in “Wipers” for four years from October 1914 to the end of the war in November 1918.
The First Fight for Ieper (Ypres), Autumn 1914
The First Battle of Ieper (Ypres) (19 October - 22 November 1914) began to the east and south east of the city in mid October 1914. It was the first of many long battles during the Great War to hold or win possession of this ancient city and it's strategic route to the French and Belgian coastal ports.
Although outnumbered, the British soldiers held their line against the odds. The senior German commanders must have bitterly regretted having once been in possession of Ieper (Ypres) and having voluntarily left it.
The town would become the focus of German attention to recapture it over the next three years. The German Army carried out major offensive operations in an attempt to gain possession of the town in the autumn of 1914, the spring of 1915 and the spring of 1918. The British carried out two major offensives to push the Germans off the dominating high ground around the north, east and south of the town in 1917
The Destruction of Ieper (Ypres)
German artillery fired continuously onto the town from mid November during the First Battle of Ieper (Ypres) (19th October - 22nd November 1914). The shells set fire to buildings in numerous places. The German artillery fired incendiary shells onto the city from positions to the north-east, east and south-east of the town. The first serious damage to the buildings occurred on 22nd November 1914. Two of Ieper (Ypres)' most famous historic buildings, St Martin's Cathedral and the Cloth Hall (Lakenhalle) were set on fire by incendiary shells. Scaffolding on the belfry caught fire; ironically this was on the building because it had been undergoing refurbishment of the stonework which was almost complete when the war broke out.
A Shattered City: 1917 & 1918
During 1917 and 1918 the city was continuously shelled by German artillery. By the end of the war there was no building left untouched. Only a tiny number of buildings, walls or façades were still intact. The medieval town with its historic buildings, centuries of traditions and its pre-war prosperity had been demolished.
Reconstruction of Historical Ieper (Ypres) from 1919
Even before the Armistice on 11 November 1918 some of the local population were beginning to return to Ieper (Ypres) from their places of refuge in neighbouring parts of Flanders and France. Every building the locals had known was shattered and in ruins. It was going to be a huge task to rebuild a whole town from its ancient roots.
Although there were some who wanted to create a modern city with the clean lines of the architecture of the 1920s, those wanting to rebuild the old city in the Flemish medieval and renaissance styles won the discussion. King Albert was also one of the people promoting the reconstruction to be carried out as the original pre-war city had looked.
Even in the 21st century dangerous ammunition is ploughed up by farmers or construction workers. The artillery shells, gas shells, grenades, bombs and bullets have become known as “The Iron Harvest”. Visitors to the battlefield areas are strongly advised never to touch anything like this that they may see or find - it may be unexploded ammunition.
The Cloth Hall (Lakenhalle)
After great discussion it was decided to rebuild the Cloth Hall in the image of what it had looked like before its destruction. The work was started in 1928. In 1934 the western wing of the Cloth Hall and the belfry tower had been completed.
The eastern wing was not started at that time and only the pillars remained in their original location. The offices of the town administration moved into the eastern wing and Nieuwerk in 1967.
St. Martin's Cathedral
Interestingly, when St. Martin's Cathedral was rebuilt from its ruins, the shape of the spire was changed. Pre-1914 the spire had been a square tower. When the new “gothic” Cathedral was finished in 1930 it had been rebuilt with a pointed spire.
The Cloister Gate (Kloosterpoort)
The cloister or monastery gate of St. Martin's cathedral was one of the few structures which was not completely demolished by the end of the war. It was still standing while almost everything around it in the immediate vicinity was reduced to piles of rubble. It had stood since about 1780 and had withstood the terrible bombardments. It was restored in 1938.
Going through the arch will lead you to the Lapidarium which was the location of the St. Martin's monastery and cloister next to the cathedral. Plans for the rebuilding of the cathedral did include the reconstruction of the monastery's cloisters. However, they were not rebuilt. The site of the monastery was one of the few places in Ieper (Ypres) which was kept as open ground as a memorial site and remnants of the cathedral and monastery were left there.
Logging Task
- At posted coordinates you should see a memorial. How many civilians of Ieper lost their lives in the Great War?
- Locate the Celtic Cross memorial in the grounds of the Cathedral (Waypoint 1)
- Write your caching name on something so it is clear and take a photograph of your caching name with the Celtic Cross in the background.
- (Optional) If you wish a picture of you by the cross would be great.
Please email or message us with your answer and upload your photograph when you log your find.
No need to wait for any reply before logging.
Any log without an attached photograph with you or your caching name will be deleted.
Please note, emails and messages are monitored. If the full logging tasks are not completed your log will be deleted.
Virtual Rewards 2.0 - 2019/2020
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.