Ypern

With a population of about 35,000, Ypres is one of the smaller cities in Belgium. Situated in the northwestern province of West Flanders, Ypres has a history dating back to the 10th century AD. Once built as a bulwark against the Normans, some of the cruelest world war conflicts took place in the Ypres region at the time of the First World War, with the three battles of Flanders and the Battle of Messines. Even today, Ypres is mainly associated with this historical event. Thus, one of the city's most famous landmarks is the Menenpoort Arch of Honor, which commemorates the city's tragic World War II history. But the tranquil town in northwest Belgium also has architecture worth seeing, far from this important chapter in history and the commemorator. These include the Lakenhal with its approximately 70-meter-high belfry, which, like many of the Belgian and northern French tower buildings, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.