Belgium school tour

With its relatively short travel time, plus its wealth of historical, cultural and artistic excursions, Belgium has always been a favourite for school groups.

Its relatively small size means you can see and do a great deal in a short space of time. The World War I Battlefields around Ypres are a well-established destination for British schools, as is Brussels, the capital of the EU and NATO, not forgetting the 70km of glorious coastline.

History Excursions

WWI Ypres Battlefields

Throughout World War I, Ypres and the surrounding area were strategically important as the last defensible position between the German army and the Channel ports. Whilst the front line was forever changing, at a terrible cost in terms of human life, it never moved more than a few miles during the whole campaign.

In Flanders Field Museum

The Flanders Field Museum, gives a very insightful, in depth and complex approach to the events of World War I. There is a layered approach to its exhibits offering its guests 4 different ways of looking at World War I's historical details including  a personal account, a chronological and thematic breakdown, a more pure history of the war and a an artist's approach to its tragedy. It is an extremely useful introduction to the history of WWI that makes it accessible for younger students, with original films, stories and exhibits. The museum also has its own education facility.

www.inflandersfields.be

Essex Farm Cemetery

The Essex Farm Cemetery was a medical station and cemetery located near where Lt. Col. J. McCrae wrote his famous poem, 'In Flanders Fields.' There are 1,200 WW1 servicemen buried or commemorated and of these burials 103 are not identified. There are special memorials commemorating 19 casualties who are known or believed to be buried among the unidentified burials. It's an excellent way to visually demonstrate the extent of the tragedy that was World War I to your pupils and students. 

Yorkshire Trench and Dug Out

Recently discovered during the building of an industrial estate, the Yorkshire Trench and Dug-Out, is now a memorial site that features a reconstruction of the Yorkshire Trench, as it was during World War I.

Langemarck Cemetery

At Langemarck you will find a German cemetery which provides a stark contrast to Allied cemeteries, overshadowed by tall oaks, which were planted at the time because the 'Oak' is the national symbol of Germany. Langemark is located about four miles north-east of Ypres, and it was near here that the Germans first used poison gas on the 22nd of April 1915 (officially the Battle of Gravenstafel Ridge). Deploring this awful atrocity, the Allies did not take too long to employ this weapon themselves, at Loos just five months later.

Tyne Cot Cemetery

Named after the German bunkers which reminded their captors of Tyneside cottages, Tyne Cot cemetery is the largest Commonwealth cemeteries in the world, with 11,954 soldiers from the Commonwealth forces buried there. 

Hill 60

Hill 60 was a low rise on the southern flank of the Ypres Salient. It was not a natural highpoint, but was created as a result of the digging of the nearby railway cutting. It became a strategically significant area of high ground that was captured by the Germans on 10 December 1914, from the French army. One of the unique elements of the fighting at Hill 60 was an intense level of combat underground staged by the engineers and tunnelers on both sides. In the first operation of its kind by the British, the Corps of Royal Engineers specialist tunnelling companies laid six mines by 10 April 1915. These mines, (together with others which were unfinished), were filled with around 4.5 kg of explosives, which exploded and ripped the heart out of the hill within a mere 10 seconds. It flung debris 300 feet into the air and scattered it a further 300 yards in all directions. You will find, at the site, a small museum, from which you can find out more about the events at Hill 60. 

Sanctuary Wood

Sanctuary Wood, where troops once  took refuge, is now a private museum featuring preserved trenches and a captivating collection of photographs. After the First World War a farmer returned to reclaim his land in and around what was left of the wood he had left in 1914, but he decided to leave a section of a British trench system as he had found it.

Menin Gate

The Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing is one of four British and Commonwealth memorials to the missing in the battlefield area of the Ypres Salient in Belgian Flanders. The memorial bears the names of 54,389 officers and men from United Kingdom and Commonwealth Forces who fell in the Ypres Salient before 16th August 1917 and who have no known grave. Every evening at 8pm, members of the local Fire Service play the Last Post in memory of those who lost their lives.

Messines / Pool of Peace

The Spanbroekmolen Mine Crater, also known as Lone Tree Crater, is the site of the largest of 19 mines blown by the British Army in the early hours of the morning of 7th June 1917. This signalled the launch of the Battle of Messines. The crater is now a huge water filled mine crater and visitors can benefit from a small museum in the town hall, giving further information about Messines and the Pool of Peace.

Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917

Passchendaele is a small little village, not far from Ypres. During the British attack of 1917, there were 500,000 casualties in 100 days for a territory gain of only 5 miles. As a result, Passchendaele became an international symbol of senseless military violence and at the Memorial Museum the memory of the battle is kept alive with images and movies, a large collection of historical artefacts and several life-like-diorama's. Eye-catcher is an underground dugout tunnel with communication-and dressing post, headquarters, work-posts and dormitories. It's an excellent way to flesh out the realities of war living for your students.

Oostende

Oostende is home to a well-preserved part of the German Atlantic Wall. On the Raversijde Domain you will find bunkers, storage facilities, personnel quarters, machinegun nests, dating from both World Wars, which are interconnected by two kilometres of trenches. 

The first tour, focuses on the First World War, and shows the Aachen Battery. The Aachen battery is the only remaining piece of evidence from the German coastal defence during the First World War. It was constructed to defend the Germans against possible allied landings.

The second (Saltzwedel Battery) tour focuses on the Second World War. The Atlantic Wall stretches from Norway to the Spanish border, and is nearly 5300 kilometres long. It had to withstand an invasion of occupied Europe by the Allies. The Saltzwedel Battery contains several bunkers with submarine guns, anti-aircraft guns, searchlights and several cannons. 

The museum also posseses a very large collection of original weapons, uniforms and personal belongings. 

 

Cross Curriculum Excursions back to top

Brussels

Since the end of World War II, Brussels has been the political capital of Europe, the seat of the European Parliament, many other EU institutions and NATO. Interestingly for a European city, within the one city you are likely to find two different languages floating around: Flemish and French. Accordingly there are linguistic tensions between the two different languages and there is a considerable amount of controversy surrounding the laws of language in the region. You can visit any one of the capital's 90 museums, the Manneken Pis statue, the Grande Place and the Atomium structure, and of course the many chocolate houses that populate Europe's chocolate capital. www.brussels.org

Bellewaerde Park

Boasting among other things the highest water chute in Europe, Bellewaerde Park provides an excellent break from the more serious excursions of the World War I Battlefields, and will keep your students engaged for longer. www.walibi.com

Bruges

Sometimes referred to as The Venice of the North, Bruges is a beautiful medieval city that is a prominent World Heritage Site of UNESCO. At one time it was the most important commercial city of the world and still has financial and economic significance thanks to its port. It provides an interesting contrast to Brussels and the World War historical sites. 

Euro Space Centre

Euro Space Centre is an educational tourist attraction devoted to space and astronautics. The centre includes simulators of space flight and micro-gravity and is home ton one of the only full-scale mock-ups of the US Space Shuttle existing in Europe. Experience space travel at first hand as well as practical training in the Space School classrooms.

www.eurospacecenter.be

 

Back to top