Page 135 - (DK Eyewitness) Top 10 Travel Guide - Brussels Bruges Ghent & Antwerp

BEY OND BRUSSELS  133

P Butte du Lion
315 Route du Lion, Ring Ouest exit 25,
5 km (3 miles) S of Waterloo. Tel (02)
385 1912. Open daily. &
Dating from 1826, the Butte
du Lion is a 45-m- (148-ft-)
high earthen mound built on
the spot where the future King
of the Netherlands, the Prince
of Orange, was wounded
during the battle. Steps lead
to the top, which is guarded
by a huge cast-iron lion, and
from here, there is a great
view over the battlefield. A
plan of the battle is displayed The summer drawing room in the 18th-century Château d’Attre, near Ath
at the top and for a small
charge, added to the ticket for q Ath w Ypres
the Mémorial 1815, you can * 28,500. £ @ n Rue de * 35,000. £ @ n 34 Market
rent a virtual reality headset Pintamont 18, (068) 26 5170. Square, (057) 23 9220.
that allows you to “see” how the
troops were deployed across This quiet town is known for its During World War I, Ypres, or
the landscape. festival – the Ducasse – which Ieper in Flemish (and familiar
occurs every year on the fourth to British soldiers as “Wipers”),
P Panorama de la Bataille weekend in August. It features was used as a supply depot for
252–254 Route du Lion, Braine- the “Parade of the Giants”, a the British army. The Germans
L’Alleud. N5, 5 km (3 miles) S of procession of gaily decorated shelled Ypres to pieces, but
Waterloo. Tel (02) 385 1912. giant figures representing after the war, the town was
Open Apr–Sep: 9:30am–6:30pm; characters from local folklore rebuilt to its earlier design,
Oct–Mar: 10am–6pm. & and the Bible. complete with a replica of its
This is perhaps the most A few kilometres northeast 13th-century Lakenhalle
fascinating of the several is one of the most popular (cloth hall). Part of its interior
attractions beneath the Butte attractions in the region, the has been turned into the “In
du Lion. This circular painting Château d’Attre. This hand some Flanders Fields” Museum, a
of the battle by artist Louis 18th-century palace was built thoughtfully laid-out series
Demoulin was erected in 1912. in 1752 by the Count of of displays that attempts to
It is 110 m (360 ft) long and Gomegnies, chamberlain to the conjure the full horrors of
stretches right round a circular, Hapsburg Emperor Joseph II. World War I.
purpose-built gallery. This is There is also the Menin Gate
one of the few late 19th-century + Château d’Attre memorial, inscribed with the
panoramic, circu lar paintings Attre. Tel (068) 45 4460. £ to Attre. names of over 50,000 British and
that remain intact. Open Jul–Aug: 1–5pm Sat & Sun; Commonwealth troops who
Apr–Jun & Sep–Oct: 2–5pm Sun. died in the area but have no
E Napoleon’s Last Closed Nov–Mar. known resting place.
Headquarters
66 Chaussée de Bruxelles, Vieux-
Genappe, N5, 7 km (4.5 miles) S of A Legacy of Conflict
Waterloo. Tel (02) 384 2424. Ypres and the area around it was the scene of some of the bloodiest
Open daily. Closed 1 Jan, 25 Dec. & battles of World War I, including Passchendaele, in which more than
Napoleon spent the eve of 500,000 men died. There are numerous guided tours of the battlefields
the battle in a farmhouse, Le on offer, but many visitors choose to go on a self-driven tour (see overleaf).
Caillou. That farmhouse has Ypres makes a good overnight base for those planning to devote two
been transformed into a days to the sites, monuments and vast cemeteries on the route.
museum, often referred to as
the Caillou Museum. Among
the items on display are a
number of artifacts from
Napoleon’s army, a bronze
death mask of the Emperor and
his army-issue bed.
In the garden is an ossuary,
which contains bones of some
of the soldiers who died during The battlefield at Passchendaele Ridge in 1917
the battle.

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