Esen

Esen and Zarren are listed among the 'martyr' villages. When the Germans passed through here on 20 October 1914, two of their soldiers were shot. This led to serious reprisals in both places. Several houses and both churches were set on fire, and a merciless hunt was begun for the assassins, the so-called ‘franc-tireurs’.

In various incidents, more than 50 of Esen's inhabitants lost their lives. The remainder were brought together in the cellars of the Costenoble Brewery, now the ‘De Dolle Brouwers’. They were held prisoner for weeks, with little food and no access to sanitary facilities. Some died here, and others were born.

The Germans were furious at their inability to capture nearby Diksmuide and often took out their frustrations on the prisoners. It was only after the fall of the town on 10 November that their attitude softened. The prisoners - by now there were 522 of them - were put on trains to take them to Torhout and Roeselare.

Esen, Zarren, Vladslo and Woumen all suffered heavily during this period - as had other towns before them in other parts of Belgium, such as Visé, Andenne, Dendermonde, Aarschot, Tamines, Dinant and Leuven.

Vl. Toeristisch bezienswaardigheden