German mausoleum

Along the Dorpsstraat in Leffinge is a military cemetery built by the German occupier in 1915. However, the graves were evacuated in the 1950s and transferred to the cemetery in Vladslo. A gathering cemetery was built there, accommodating German graves from no fewer than 61 Belgian villages.
After the removal of the German graves, the graves that were previously arranged around the Leffinge church were transferred to this cemetery. The Germans had actually erected a military cemetery here, later transformed into an ordinary cemetery. The structures they built have been preserved. Notably, there is a modernist entrance building: the funeral procession entered through the center, pedestrians to the left, and horsemen to the right. An old mausoleum is located at the back of the cemetery, designed by Hauptmann Lowenstein in 1915. A mausoleum is an empty funeral monument, built here in honor of all the Germans who fell during World War I. Previously, the following text could be read on the frieze above the head of Christ: "Niemand hat grossere Liebe denn die dass er sein Leben lasset für sein Brüder." However, the text was erased. Several windows in the back facade were also bricked up, removing the entire opening characteristic of the original design. The stained glass representing fallen soldiers also unfortunately disappeared as a result of these modifications. To prevent any further damage to the original radiance of this mausoleum, it was decided to protect the monument so that it can maintain its status as a witness to World War I in the future.

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