Today is what Belgians call “Remembrance Day”, or in the US what was call “Veterans Day”. The day originally marks the official end of World War I, the grossly misnamed “War to End All Wars”. The Armistice of Compiegne ending the war was signed on the 11th day of the 11th hour of the 11th month on the 18th year after the 20th century between Entente and the last remaining aggressor, Germany.
The Trench of Death (museum link here) is one of the more colorfully named touristic sites in Belgium, though it well-deserves the name. Located near Ypres and part of the famous “Flanders Fields” string of World War I battle sites, it’s a scar across the earth along the Yser River that’s been permanently preserved in concrete.
The Trench of Death
The Trench of Death is one of the last remaining World War I trench networks that can be visited. And like a Nazi death camp, I think it is essential to visit one of these at least once, to let the worst bits of your imagination run rampant and gain some perspective on the horrors of war. At least important for green dummies like me—and I hope for a future where everyone is some kind of green dummy, but, as I write this, that doesn’t look to be in the works.
Neutral Belgium
World War I completely ravaged Belgium, turning the country into a permanent battlefield for the entire war, with fighting stretching from the Flanders Fields all the way to the Ardennes—literally across the entire country. So, after the war, they wanted to make sure that never happened again. Instead of taking a clear side with Germany or France afterwards, they made their official position neutral.
What happened after that? They thought they could relax somewhat on their defenses and assumed that their stated neutrality would be respected in any future conflict. Of course, we know the history: Germany rolled right over them in their invasion of France a couple of decades later, with Belgium occupation nearly immediate.
Lessons learned
When you live between two competing great powers, and you don’t have any proscriptive geography to protect you (a la Switzerland), you don’t have the luxury to be neutral.
I think that’s an important lesson for Ukraine. Many people think Putin’s preference for a neutral Ukraine is in earnest. Where I think it’s better to remember Belgium’s example. A neutral Ukraine, disarmed Ukraine means that Russia can just steamroll through it on their way to Poland and beyond.
The WWI Battle of Yser
The Trench of Death, or the Dodengang as it’s called in Flemish/Dutch is a 300 yard relic of the Great War. It’s part of what makes up the “Dixmude” network of trenches that dot the Flemish countryside and were strategic throttle points set up during the Battle of Yser in October 1914. The Belgian army quickly set up these strongholds and stabilized their front, stopping the German advance.
Despite the fields to be mostly flat, it also makes for some horrendous fighting conditions, since they’re super moist lands filled with dykes, canals, and drainage ditches, making armored warfare nearly impossible (which is why the whole dawn of tanks picked up more to the south) and mounted action also impossible given the high visibility and low maneuverability of any attempted charges. Mostly here it was just an awful muddy existence where gas canisters and artillery were constantly being exchanged by the heavily fortified positions on either side of the river.
The End of the Battle of Yser
The ultimate stroke was by the Belgians and British when they decided to just flood much of Flanders. The Germans had advanced forward to the second line of Belgian defense, when the floodwaters started coming in behind the Germans. This prompted a panicked withdrawal by the Germans, and the bulk of the fighting would move to the south towards Ypres.
What to Expect
At the site, there’s a two story museum (the top two stories of the Visitor’s Center). The museum is fairly short and basic, with a few found artifacts and some very basic presentation of history in Dutch and French (use your Google translate on your phone if you don’t speak either language). In my opinion, for context, it’s better to visit the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History at the Cinquantenaire Park in Brussels before coming here.
From there you go down the stairs and head to the trenches. The sandbags seem to be made of concrete, or were preserved in concrete, or something. It was a real marvel of concreteering if they went back to replace the sandbags with a concrete wall that looks like sandbags. So, I’m stumped in this one. Did they originally use concrete? Were these actually bags of concrete that took the shapes of the bags that were placed there? I don’t know, and nothing I saw at the site explained this.
The whole place is a bit chilling, considering what those people must have gone through for three years straight of almost constant battle and terror. But by passing up on exploring the lives of the common soldier, the museum fails in really creating a stirring experience.
Key features and notable landmarks within the site
There is an excellent panoramic view from the top floor of the museum over the trenches, and gives you some idea of the battlescape, along with some maps on the top floor providing at least a bit of geographic context.
Life in the trenches
They show you how they built a train line running the length of the trenches to make it easier to transport goods up and down and reinforce places in need. Though I was really hoping to learn more about the daily life of soldiers living in and operating out of the trenches. The museum provides little, and the trench area itself, the bunker/sleeping areas are just hollowed out concrete bits. This was really a lost opportunity for the museum.
Into the trenches
There’s one fortress area on display, which is reminiscent of a medieval fortress without a roof. It’s a maze of trenches, bunkers, and holes. Then there are parallel trenches running up the Yser that you can walk down.
Here, you’ll notice the first row of trenches is zig-zagged. That’s because, if Germans were able to break into the trench, they wouldn’t be able to clear it by just machine gunning up and down the line. And the defender can then machine gun any incoming Germans and don’t have to worry about hitting their own guys.
The second row of trenches is straight, and that’s where the rail line used to be.
You’ll also notice this marker here at the end of the trench, featuring a laurel wreath and Belgian military helmet. King Albert had these installed across the country to show the “Line of Demarcation”, that is, where the front was at the time of the Armistice.
Visiting the Trench of Death
How to get there
Getting there is no easy task. To the town of Diksmuide is something of a battle in itself, engaging in various modes of transportation and changing from buses to trains. After arriving in Diksmuide, you’ve got a 30 minute walk. In total, look for this to take a bit over 3 hours one way. So better if you’ve got a car or hit this area up during a visit to Brugge/Bruges, from which it takes about an hour and a half.
Admission fees and opening hours
It’s six bucks to get in for adults, free for kids under 6.
During the summer half of the year, it’s open from 10:00-18:00, seven days a week. During winter months (November-March), it’s only open from 9:30 to 16:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
It’s fairly kid friendly. My kid had a great time playing hide and go seek.
Recommended attire and gear for visiting the site
They recommend bringing wellies, but hiking boots are just as fine. During the summer, regular shoes are probably okay. The trenches do get muddy and wet though during any rains, and since Belgium rain is the normal… well, assume muddy and wet.
Other places in the area
Diksmuide is a fairly small town, and if you’re there on a Sunday, nothing is open. More nearby places cities of interest for tourists would probably be Ypres to the south, or Neiuwpoort or Ostende towards the beach to get something of an industrial tourist zone (beautiful sandy beaches of grey water, and also busy shipping ports).
Bonus
The poem that made the battlefield famous. This is “In Flanders Fields”, by John McCrae from Canada, who served as a gunner with the Canadian Expeditionary Force. It was from this poem we’ve come to recognize poppies as the symbol of the fallen, since in Flanders red-flowered corn poppies grew heavily around the graves of the soldiers.
In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields, the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Final thoughts
Visiting the Trench of Death near Ypres can be a deeply moving experience that connects us with the harsh realities of World War I and honors the resilience and bravery of those who fought. This preserved site, with its trench system and historical artifacts, offers a reminder of the sacrifices made, the importance of remembrance, and also a bit of an early 1900s “castle” feel.
Visiting there and looking out from the overlook to the busy farms, beautiful villages, and peaceful Flemish countryside, gives me some hope for the future of Ukraine. Even as trench terror grips a quarter of their country, and the horrors of war grasp the entire people, there will one day be an end to it all. When the line of demarcation is no longer Ukrainian and Russian dug trenches and minefields, but just remembered by a set of concrete pillars and museums, and people can remember their grandfathers fighting that brutal war, pinning sunflowers to their breasts (more or less the poetic floral symbol of this war).
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