Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: België

Sanctuary Wood ( Heiligdombos ) was named by British troops in November 1914 during World War I, when they used the cover of a forest at this location to tend to their wounded during the First Battle of Ypres, so it was literally a ‘sanctuary’ of sorts for those casualties. At the end of the battle the front line stabilized and would remain so until the Third Battle of Ypres, when the Commonwealth troops managed to push the front line a few miles into German-held territory. In the Spring Offensive of 1918, however, the Germans pushed the Allies back towards Ypres and Sanctuary Wood was occupied by the Germans until the final battle and the defeat of Germany. In 1919 the farmer who had owned the land of what became Sanctuary Wood returned to reclaim his property. He decided to preserve some of the British trench system he found. It is one of the very few original sets of World War I trenches left as they were found at the end of the war. Nowadays it is a privately owned museum nearby the Canadian Hill 62 Memorial and the Sanctuary Wood Cemetery.

At the end of October 1914, World War I stalled in Flanders Fields. After the first battle of Ypres (October-November 1914), trenches were dug in a wide arc around the city of Ypres. The second battle followed the first gas attack (April 1915). The front line shrank into the “Little Ypres Salient” at 3.5 to 4.5 km away from the city centre. The front started moving again on 7 June 1917. British troops broke open the Ieperboog (Ypres Salient) at the cost of huge losses during the third battle of Ypres (July-November 1917). However the German spring offensive of 1918 pushed the Ypres Salient back towards Ypres. The German troops were forced to give up the Ieperboog at the end of September 1918, due to exhaustion and the arrival of American troops. These battles almost completely destroyed the city of Ypres, while thousands of citizens and over hundreds of thousands soldiers from around the world lost their lives. More than 150 military cemeteries were built and monuments erected in and around the city in the 1920’s. Cemeteries, monuments, trenches, mine craters and museums nowadays still remind us of the futility of war.

The Lakenhalle (Cloth Hall) is a well-known landmark, located in the heart of Ypres. This large hall was built in Gothic style between 1200 and 1304. It was one of the largest commercial buildings of the Middle Ages, when it served as the main market and warehouse for the Flemish city's prosperous cloth industry. At 125 meters in width, with a 70 meters high belfry tower, it recalls the importance and wealth of the medieval trade city. The Lakenhalle was completely destroyed during World War I. Between 1933 and 1967, it was meticulously reconstructed to its prewar condition, under the guidance of architects J. Coomans and P. A. Pauwels. In 1999, the Lakenhalle was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France. Nowadays the building houses the In Flanders Fields Museum, the Yper Museum and the local tourist information office.

Sint-Maartenskerk or Sint-Maartenskathedraal (St Martin's Church or St Martin's Cathedral) is the former cathedral and seat of the former diocese of Ypres from 1561 to 1901. Construction started on the church in 1230, and was finished in 1370. There had previously been a Romanesque church in the area, dating from the 10th or 11th century. Sint-Maartenskerk was heavily damaged during the World War I. Subsequently (1922–1930) the ruin was cleared and the church was entirely rebuilt following the original plans, although the tower was built with a higher spire than the original. With a height of 102 meters it is one of the tallest buildings in Belgium.

The Sint-Pieterskerk (St Peter's Church) is located in on the place where the Flemish count “Robrecht de Fries” is said to have founded a place of worship in 1073. This Romanesque church dedicated to St Peter was built in the 12th-13th centuries. At the end of the 15th and the first half of the 16th century, it was converted into a Gothic hall church. The first tower burned down in 1638. It was not until 1868 that the church had a new tower. During World War I, the church was almost completely destroyed. Only the vaults of the church were spared. The famous reconstruction architect Jules Coomans has integrated the remains of the walls in the new church and replaced the Gothic superstructure of the tower with a Romanesque tower.

Sint-Alexiusbegijnhof (St. Alexius Beguinage) is an oasis of quietness in the heart of Dendermonde. It has 61 houses around a green trapezium-shaped courtyard with a chapel in the middle. The beguinage was built in 1288 and has been occupied ever since. At one time two hundred and fifty beguines, members of a religious sisterhood, lived here; the last died in 1975. Her former home houses a museum of folklore. To keep the memory of the beguines alive, one small house has been furnished as an authentic beguine's home. Since the year of 1998 the Sint-Alexiusbegijnhof is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The history of Arboretum Kalmthout goes back as far as 1856, when the Antwerp dendrologist Charles Van Geert started a proving ground in Kalmthout for his nursery in Antwerp. It remained a nursery until 1952, when the brothers Georges and Robert de Belder bought the site to create their private botanical garden there. Under their leadership Arboretum Kalmthout grew into one of the world's most prestigious botanic collections. They introduced hundreds of new plants, which came from friends and growers all over the world. They collected seeds in the wild, and also selected a number of new cultivars. In addition to collecting new plants, increasing importance was given to scientific and educational aspects. The garden grew into one of the most valuable collections of woody plants in Europe. In 1986 Antwerp Provincial Authority purchased the site and the property has been expanded and now measures over 33 acres The independent non-profit organisation “Arboretum Kalmthout” retained full responsibility for management, upkeep, and operation. Jelena de Belder – the wife of Robert - was a big fan of Cyclamen, the tuberous plant from the forests of her homeland Slovenia. She planted very many of them in the garden since the 1980s. During our visit in September, we took a walk along the Cyclamen-trail with many so-called autumn cyclamen; sometimes a few together and in other places whole carpets of flowers.

The Église Saint-Lambert (Saint-Lambert Church) is the parish church of the village of Sippenaeken. It is located on a hill above the valley of the river Geul. This classical-style building was built between 1840 and 1841. The brick structure rests on a base of sandstone and limestone. An octagonal spire surmounts the square tower. Although the outside of the church is quite simple, I was pleasantly surprised by the interior (even with the red-white corona-ribbons on the pews) with its beautiful altar.

Castle Beusdael is located outside the village of Sippenaeken. The castle - surrounded by a moat - is characterized by three main parts: an imposing limestone tower, dating back to the 13th century (12 meters wide and up to 28 meters below the cornice with thick walls 1.5 to 2.5 meters at the base), the main building in stone and bricks from the 16th century, and finally the neo-Gothic chapel of the late 19th century. To enter the castle, you cross a stone bridge over the moat with a gate building. The first Lords of Beusdael appear in the 14th century. This family was powerful and owned several properties, like the Dutch castles of Geusselt and Goedenraad. By marriages and heritages the Castle Beusdael transferred from the Van Beusdael family to a lot of noble families until the 19th century. In 1875 it was inherited by Count Florent d'Oultremont, who ordered major alterations to the castle. Castle Beusdael had several other owners until it was bought by the Antoine family in 1976. The castle is private property and still inhabited and not accessible.

The majestic stadhuis (city hall) is built in the sixteenth century; construction of the building - after designs made by Cornelis Floris de Vriendt and several other architects and artists - started in 1561 and was completed four years later. At that time Antwerp was one of the largest and most important cities in the world. As one of the world's most powerful commercial centers the new city hall was to become a symbol of the city's wealth and power. It is considered being the most important Renaissance building in the “Low Countries”. During the Spanish Fury in 1576, the new building was set on fire by Spanish soldiers, leaving only the exterior walls standing. The city hall was rebuilt three years later, in 1579. The façade is richly decorated with statues, ornaments and coat of arms. It is facing the Grote Markt with its wonderful 16th and 17th centuries houses (PiPs). The stadhuis is decorated with the flags of the countries of the European Union, in addition to flags of all the countries that have a consulate in Antwerp. The ground floor of the building originally housed small shops. The construction of the city hall was partly funded with the rent received from those shopkeepers. The stadhuis of Antwerp is since 1999 inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List along with the belfries of Belgium and France.

The beautifully restored Turnhout Castle, also known as Castle of the Dukes of Brabant ( Kasteel van de Hertogen van Brabant ) dates back to the 12th century. Originally it was the first hunting lodge of the first Duke of Brabant. In the 16th century the castle was rebuilt into a renaissance palace by Mary of Hungary, at that time the governors of the Netherlands and was used as a court of pleasure. During the Eighty Years' War (1568-1648) Turnhout Castle lay on the front line. As a result it changed hands several times between the Spanish army and the Dutch rebels. In 1597 the north wing was burned down by the troops of Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange. After that the castle lost its military importance. In 1702 Turnhout became a Prussian barony under Frederick the Great. In 1789, during the Brabant Revolution, the Austrians were driven out of Turnhout. They returned twice but in 1796 the castle was occupied by the French. They turned the castle into a court house and prison. The building was also used as a warehouse, a fire brigade and a weaving school. In the 20th century the decayed castle was purchased by the province of Antwerp and was renovated in a classicist inspired neo-baroque style. The last renovation took place around the year 2000 and was opened again in May of that year. At present Turnhout Castle - one of the most interesting buildings in the city - is used as a court of justice and is not open for visitors.

In the Middle Ages Bruges ( Brugge in Dutch) had more than twenty windmills, which were located on the city walls. Nowadays there are only four remaining mills on the ramparts between the Kruispoort and the Dampoort . One of them is the Bonne Chiere, which was built in the village of Olsene in the year of 1844. This windmill was rebuilt on its current location in Bruges in 1911, after the original mill was blown down during a storm. It is built in the same architectural style: wooden standard mill on four brick dices. The ‘new’ Bonne Chiere has never grinded grain, but was just for decoration. The mill is not open for visitors.

The Jan van Eyckplein is a square - named after the famous painter - located a little bit further away from the other touristic highlights of Bruges. As a result, it is not flooded with hordes of tourists and one can quietly enjoy the beautiful architecture of the typical brick houses with their stepped gables and quaint facades. The square - constructed in 1787 - is located on the beginning of the Spiegelrei , which once was once was the old harbour of Bruges, where ships loaded and unloaded their goods.

Bruges (or Brugge in Dutch) is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage site and has one of the best preserved medieval city centres of the world with its bell tower, wide open market square, cobble stoned streets and brick archways and quaint bridges. Canals loop across the town like a string of pearls and did give the city its nickname: “Venice of the North”. For many years Bruges was more or less been known as a "dead city" for many years. The sanding of the harbour and the difficulties to dig canals in the sand caused heavy economical burdens on the city between the Middle Ages and the 20th century. But nowadays Bruges is a lively city and one of the most important tourist attractions in Belgium.

The beguinage in Turnhout was first mentioned in a document in the year of 1340; most probably lived and worked, as in other Brabant cities, Beguines before. In the 14th century the beguinage was situated at the former park around the castle of Turnhout. The oblong square of the beguinage was enlarged from the 14th century on the grounds of the castle into a small walled village. At its peak at the end of the 17th century 344 beguines lived in 86 houses. This was followed by various lows with fire disasters, looting, plague and other epidemics. Fortunately, the beautiful baroque beguinage church dating from 1662 - 1667, the chapel of the Holy Appearance and the restored Calvary Chapel remained unharmed. Once through the imposing gate building from 1700, you enter a hidden gem of this 'medieval' world with stylish houses, cobblestone streets and gardens. The beguinage has an interesting museum, located in the Sint-Jansconvent (17th century). This unique museum - opened in 1953, when still three beguines lived in the building - shows how the beguines lived and worked. The last beguine died in 2002. In 1998 the beguinage was ckassified as UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Antwerpen-Centraal (Antwerp Central) is the name of the main railway station in Antwerp. The original station building was constructed between 1895 and 1905; it replaced the wooden train station from the mid 19th century. The stone clad terminus buildings were designed by the Bruges architect L. Delacenserie. It has a huge dome above the waiting room and eight smaller towers of which six were demolished during the 1950s. Fortunately they were reconstructed in 2009 together with several ornaments, including large lion statues. The rich interior is lavishly decorated with more than twenty different kinds of marble and stone. Nowadays the railway station is considered being the finest example of railway architecture in Belgium. In 2009 the American magazine “Newsweek” judged Antwerpen-Centraal the world's fourth greatest train station. Five years later it was awarded by the British-American magazine “Mashable” with the first place for the most beautiful railway station in the world.

The Grote Markt (Market Square) is the heart of the old city and covers an area of about 1 hectare. It is lined with stepped gabled houses, the Provincial Palace and the 83-metre high Belfort.

The 'Prinselijk Begijnhof Ten Wijngaarde’ (Princely Beguinage Ten Wijngaarde) with its white-coloured house fronts and tranquil convent garden was founded in 1245. This little piece of world heritage was once the home of the beguines, emancipated lay-women who nevertheless led a pious and celibate life. It is the only preserved beguinage in the city of Bruges. Nowadays, the Beguinage is inhabited by the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict; the church is still fully functioning. The complex houses a beguinage museum where one can gain insights into what daily life was like in the 17th century. (PiP: entrance gate to the beguinage)