Ieper-Ypres Travel Guide
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110km (69 miles) W of Brussels; 45km (28 miles) SW of Bruges
Ypres (Ieper in Dutch), set among the low, gentle slopes of the West Flanders Heuvelland (Hill Country), owed its early prosperity to a textile industry that peaked in the 13th century. Over the centuries, the handsome town was victimized by one war after another and became a ghost of its former self. By far the most devastating was World War I (1914-18) -- the "war to end all wars" -- when hardly a brick was left standing after 4 years of violent bombardments.
Many visitors come to Ypres (pronounced ee-pruh) to pay homage to those who fell on the surrounding battlefields and rest peacefully buried in the many military cemeteries that lie on the green breast of the Heuvelland. Homage could also be paid to the determined citizens who have rebuilt, brick by brick, the most important of the town's medieval buildings exactly as they were, carefully following original plans still in existence. This accounts for the pristine look of venerable monuments, in place of the moldering stonework you might expect.
Because it lies in a corner of Belgium that's awkward to reach, some visitors combine a visit to Ypres with a trip to Bruges or the nearby seacoast resorts.
