School Museum, Ypres

Advantages: Good atmosphere, amazing buildings, good shopping
Disadvantages: Very sad, extremly cold in winter!

...I have recently been on a day-long trip with my school to see Ypres as we are studying the 1st World War. I found it fascinating. Ypres is a small medieval town in Belgium. It used to be a small and sleepy town with only 20,000 inhabitants. It was taken by the German army in 1914 and after four years of war it was left in ruins. It was so flat and empty that you could see around you for miles. It was one of the best cloth towns in Belgium so the money from that paid for the town to be completely rebuilt. We excitedly boarded our coaches at five o'clock in the morning on 11 March. We crossed the channel in the Euro tunnel and drove through France and into Belgium. We arrived in a very cold Belgium at 11am, unprepared for the day that lay ahead. We stopped off at a few Commonwealth War Grave Cemeteries, including the one... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Interesting and fairly comprehensive history of 20th century warfare
Disadvantages: Far too many school trips

...wars since 1945 (and there've been plenty). As I'm particularly interested in the history of WW1, this was probably the main attraction here for me. I wasn't disappointed. There's an amazing amount and variety of artifacts on display, along with detailed information about the different phases and aspects of the war. I've visited many, dedicated WW1 museums, and while this one is very good, I don't think it's quite on a par with the In Flanders Field Museum in Ypres. However, The TRENCH EXPERIENCE was exceptional. You enter a darkened corridor which is actually a simulation of a trench system. There are constant flashes, and attendant booming, which gives a reasonable impression of an artillery barrage. The sound effects also include shouting and crying, rattling machine guns and a whole cacophony of battlefield noises. Life... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Great Historical Monuments
Disadvantages: The Weather! (?)

...I visited Ypres not so long ago for a day trip to have a browse around the World War grave yards and the old trenches that were used during the war. I visited both the Allied grave yards and the German grave yards and they both have sad yet interesting feel about them. The allied grave yard is amazingly kept, with the white stones and rememberence monuments naming those whose died defending their country. I also took the time to sign the rememberence book and filled it with simply a word that covers everything, "Respect". The German grave yard i visited was smaller but just as sad. With it's flat grey stones and basic look, however it is also very well kept and has a peaceful feel about it. The trenches that i visited were again, fantasticly kept. I even had a wonder through them. The dark tunnels and the thick mud would make... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful