The Ypres Salient Battlefields, Belgium

Ypres Salient images

Battles of the Ypres Salient

By 22 November 1914 the Front Line (red dashed line) stabilized east of Ypres, forming a salient in the Allied Armies' Front Line .
The front line stabilized east of Ypres forming a salient by 22nd November 1914.

Within the first few months of the outbreak of the Great War the Ypres Salient witnessed the first of several major battles to occur there before the war ended on 11 November 1918. The major battles comprised:

Battles of the Ypres Salient

Battle Remains

German bunker near the village of Zandvoorde south-east of Ypres.
German bunker near the village of Zandvoorde south-east of Ypres.

There are numerous sites to visit in the Ypres Salient where remains of the fighting can be seen. These include trenches, mine craters and concrete bunkers.

Battle Remains in the Ypres Salient

Monuments & Memorials

The Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing in Ypres.
The Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing in Ypres.

In addition to the military cemeteries, there are a number of large memorials to commemorate the names of “The Missing”, those servicemen whose bodies were never found or could not be identified. These memorials commemorate those who have no known grave in the Ypres Salient. There are also many memorials to individuals, military units and civilians.

Monuments & Memorials

Cemeteries

Bedford House Cemetery, south of Ypres.
Bedford House Cemetery, south of Ypres.

The scale of military casualties from the German, French and British Armies during the battles of the Ypres Salient amounted to several hundred thousand dead. Their graves are marked by over 100 military burial grounds on the old Ypres Salient 1914-1918 battlefields.

Ypres Salient Cemeteries

Museums

Display in the In Flanders Fields Museum.
Display in the In Flanders Fields Museum.

There are numerous public and private museums. These museums contain resources ranging from rare battlefield artefacts and archive collections to original trench systems. Education Services are also available for school and student groups at the larger museums.

Ypres Salient Museums

Events

During the year there are commemorative ceremonies and events taking place in the area of the Ypres Salient battlefields.

Buglers of the Last Post Association in the uniform of the Ieper volunteer Fire Brigade play Last Post at the Menin Gate. (1)
Buglers of the Last Post Association play Last Post at the Menin Gate in Ieper.

Daily Last Post Ceremony

Sounding of Last Post is a daily Act of Remembrance that takes place every evening at 20.00 hours at the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing in Ypres/Ieper.

Daily Last Post Ceremony, Menin Gate Memorial

For a listing of events in the area see our page:

Events on the Ypres Salient Battlefields

Accommodation

There is a wide range of accommodation to suit all budgets for visitors to the area of the 1914-1918 Ypres Salient battlefields. As a guide this website provides listings of hotels, guesthouses, Bed & Breakfast, self-catering, hostels and campsites.

Accommodation in the Ypres Salient

Cafés & Restaurants

Cafés on the Grote Markt in Ypres.
Cafes in Ypres market square.

The area offers a wide range of options for eating at restaurants, bistros, cafés and tea rooms for the individual traveller and tour groups.

Cafés & Restaurants

Tourist Information

Visitor Centre for Ypres and the Westhoek in Ypres/Ieper.
Visitor Centre for Ypres and the Westhoek.

Information and links for online tourist information or tourist offices for Flanders and West-Flanders (West-Vlaanderen).

Tourist Information

Towns & Villages

The Cloth Hall (Lakenhalle) rebuilt stone by stone after it had been completely destroyed by 1918.
The Cloth Hall (Lakenhalle)

Ypres - Ieper

The medieval town of Ypres (nowadays called by its Flemish name Ieper) was located at the centre of the 1914-1918 battlefields of the Ypres Salient. Ypres was razed to the ground during four years of fighting. Read an overview of the history of the town, how it was affected by the war and some of the notable sights to be seen.

Ypres - Ieper

To see the locations and overview information for the towns in the region of the Ypres Salient battlefields see our page:

Towns & Villages of the Ypres Salient Battlefields

Acknowledgements

(1) Photograph courtesy of Stad Ieper, copyright Tijl Capoen.