At least 125,000 people were killed during the Battle of Passchendaele, between July 31 and November 10, 1917. In the current landscape, countless places remind us of this tragedy. Perhaps the most visible and poignant are monuments and cemeteries. The first display shows how war victims were given a final resting place in the landscape. The second display shows war relics that remained untouched during reconstruction. Bunkers, craters, trenches, but also numerous archaeological finds are tangible testimonies of the Battle of Passchendaele. The Belgian mine clearance service DOVO still clears dozens of tons of ammunition every year, the so-called iron harvest. Scattered in this room you will see dark green columns with stories about fallen soldiers. They show that less striking places are also part of war history. In every field or grove, along every road or hedge and on every farm, a soldier lost his life. For family members who visit the place where a relative fought or died, these places have great emotional value. Especially if a fallen person has no identified grave, it is poignant to be able to visit this place. The former battlefields are steeped in memories and meaning because of these countless stories. They are an integral part of the identity of the nations that once fought there. The landscape is, as it were, a final witness.
Discover what our museum has to offer by listening to or by reading the audio stops below. Do you have a warm heart for the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917, or do you want to support us in these difficult times? Become a member of the ‘Passchendaele society’ via passchendaele.be and commemorate the Battle of Passchendaele and its more than 600,000 casualties.