Belgium Halle Forest (also known as Hallerbos) is a small forest outside of Halle, Belgium which for a few weeks every year is one of the most magnificent natural sites in Central Europe. Home to a variety of hardwoods, Halle Forest blooms every year with millions of bluebell flowers which cover the forest floor like a carpet. During these periods, the forest swarms with … [Read more...]
BATTLE OF THE BULGE (THE BULGE BATTLEFIELD)
Bastogne, Belgium (1944 AD) The Battle of the Bulge was the last major German offensive of World War II and the last major battle to have been fought in Western Europe ever since. Personally organized by Adolph Hitler, the Battle of the Bulge was a last desperate gamble to dislodge the American and British armies approaching the Rhineland and regain the initiative along the … [Read more...]
BATTLES OF YPRES (YPRES BATTLEFIELD)
Ypres, Belgium (1914 AD, 1915 AD & 1917 AD) The Battles of Ypres were a series of five major military engagements along the Western Front, some of which were among the largest and deadliest battles of the First World War. This made the area around Ypres one of the most active fighting zones of the war, where perhaps one and a half million or more troops on all sides lost … [Read more...]
BATTLE OF WATERLOO (WATERLOO BATTLEFIELD)
Waterloo, Belgium (1815 AD) The Battle of Waterloo was by far the most famous engagement of the Napoleanic Wars and one of the most popularized in history. It was the culmination of Napolean Bonaparte’s final campaign, as well as the end of nearly three decades of strife in Europe that began with the French Revolution. Fought between a hastily gathered army of French … [Read more...]
CHURCH OF OUR LORD IN THE ATTIC
Amsterdam, Netherlands Since the end of the Roman persecutions in the 4th century AD, the open practice of the Christian faith has rarely, if ever, been a problem. This has especially been true for the Catholic Church, which has dominated Christianity for well over a thousand years, especially in the west. However, there have been times when the practice of Catholicism has … [Read more...]
WESTERN FRONT FORTIFICATIONS (VERDUN, EBEN EMAEL, MAGINOT LINE)
Verdun, France; Eben-Emael, Belgium; Thionville, France The Franco-German border was one of the world’s last heavily fortified frontiers. Long after the Middle Ages were over, and even a century after the armies of Napolean had dismantled many of Central Europe’s greatest fortresses, the region stretching from the Low Countries to the border of Switzerland remained an armed … [Read more...]
STAR FORT
Bourtange, Netherlands The Star Fort of Bourtange is one of the most unique fortifications in Europe, for several reasons. First, it is the only site that consists primarily of earthworks rather than stone walls. Its design became a prototype that was soon replicated in Europe and colonies around the world. Second, the Star Fort is now inhabited and maintained as a small … [Read more...]
GRAVENSTEEN CASTLE
Ghent, Belgium The castles and palaces of the Low Countries are extremely numerous, and no place in Europe has less standardized architectural styles than this region. Influenced by the French, Germans, English and Scandinavians, Benelux enjoys a wide variety of some of the most beautiful castles in Europe. If there is one stylistic factor common to region was the tendency … [Read more...]
CHRISTMAS TRUCE MEMORIALS OF THE WESTERN FRONT
Ypres, Belgium & Frelinghien, France For men who go to war, there are few times as lonely as Christmas, when home and family can seem so far away. Few men in such times look for the hope of holiday joy, and fewer still expect much in the way of miracles. But on December 24, 1914, in the midst of the carnage of the greatest war mankind had yet seen, English, French and … [Read more...]
WINTER WONDERLAND FESTIVAL
Brussels, Belgium Located at the geographic and cultural juncture of Germany, France and England, it is not surprising that Belgium boasts one of the most popular Christmas markets in Europe. Though overshadowed by the mammoth markets of Southern Germany and Central England, the Winter Wonders festival of Brussels is nevertheless one of the standout holiday markets of … [Read more...]
