fortifications of Ypres

Assignment: enjoy the peace around you.

Fortifications

The fortifications of Ypres are the best preserved in our country. However, they have a tumultuous history behind them.

Their story began ten centuries ago when the city arose at the Ieperlee. Moats and earthen ramparts protected the citizens of the prosperous city. The city fortifications reached their first peak around 1390 with high walls and strong corner towers. Over the centuries, the fortifications were adapted to accommodate increasingly powerful weapons.

Around 1680, the famous French engineer Vauban transformed the fortress into an enormous complex with outworks and bastions. Ypres defended the border of the then states and served as a buffer that had to endure many collisions between European royal houses. Each left its mark on the current fortified landscape, the green belt around the city center.

Many fortification structures have been more or less preserved or restored. The fortification route connects these through a beautiful walking path. The route starts at the visitor center De Kazematten (Bollingstraat 1), goes via the Ice Cellar over the Lille Gate - an important access gate with Gatekeeper's House and Saskamer, up to the Gunpowder Magazine. The spaces (except for the visitor center) are, however, limited accessible under the guidance of a guide.

In the fortification walls, there are arched spaces in various places that have been used throughout history for different purposes. The new visitor center De Kazematten behind St. Jacob's Church is accessible every day (except Monday). There you can discover the history of the fortress through a presentation of ten centuries of Ypres fortifications.

Mien Verstraete