Waterloo (Belgium) > Reviews > One for the military historian

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money
Sightseeing
Shopping
Nightlife
Ease of getting around

Advantages:	Military history
Disadvantages:	Not much else to see and do

Recommend to potential buyers:

no

Full review

Waterloo is synonymous with the final defeat of Napoleon at the hands of Wellington and Blucher on 18 June 1815. Now however, it is a comfortable dormitory suburb for Brussels with a large ex-patriate community, particularly from Sweden and the USA.

Waterloo is 20km south of the centre of Brussels, just of the Brussels Ring (R0). The battlefield is just over 5km south of the centre of Waterloo itself,. The most prominent monument is a statue of a lion atop a 40m high-mound (Butte du Lion), which is visible from miles around. It is quite a climb to the top (over 200 steps), but you get a very good overview of the battlefield from there. The mound is next to a visitors center, which may well have been state of the art 20 years ago, but feels a bit dated now. As part of the entry fee, you can see a mini-film which intercuts children playing on the battlefield with scenes from a film of the battle (not sure which). In another building, there is a panorama of the battle, which I found the most interesting part of the visit. It is a circular painting of really impressive size (I guess about 100m long and 10m high), where you stand in the middle of the battle and see forces from both armies depicted.

Along the main Brussels-Charleroi road (N5), you can see memorials to the different forces (Gordon, Wounded Eagle and Hannoverian monuments) and the wall of the Haie Sainte farm, which does not seem to have changed much over the intervening period.

There are also museums to mark the last HQs of the rival commanders before the battle - the Caillou for Napoleon and the Wellington museum in the centre of Waterloo itself.

And that is it really. I have friends who are into military history who have been of tours of the battlefield, but there is not a great deal to see for the typical visitor.

If you are a golfer, Royal Waterloo golf club (handicap certificate required) is one of the best in Belgium, having two 18-hole and one 9-hole course. The 18-hole Lion course has frequent views of the Butte du Lion, while the 'Marache' has played host to European Tour events, and is as good a parkland course as you could hope to find.

Shopping in Waterloo is unexceptional, and the food no better or worse than elsewhere in the area.