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Most of
the visitors of Ypres come because of the history of the First World War.
But the city of Ypres suffered many periods of wealth, wars and disasters
and each time the inhabitants had the courage to rebuild their town again.
through the history and we live Now it is the first period of 60 years
during the history that Flanders and Ypres live in a period of peace
without war or any troubles.
Because
of the manufacture of drapery and cloth trading, Ypres became, in the 12th
century, one of the most important cities of the county of
Flanders. The city was build alongside the important trade route between
Bruges and Lille (now in Northern France) and could be reached via the
little river 'Ieperlee'.
Ypres
become, after Bruges and Ghent, one of the most important cloth centers
with international market. Even in the Russian Novgorod the Ypres cloth is
sold. In 126O the city counts according to some sources 40,000 inhabitants
(more than Paris and London together) and the Ypres cloth has an
important position in the world market. In that period started the
construction of the belfry, cloth hall and cathedral. The cloth
industrie take such a speed that the local wool stocks become inadequate .
United Kingdom becomes the bests and soon only supplier. Crafts industry
are set up and guild's are founded. Klauwaarts and Leliaarts are taken
into consideration on policy flat. The victory of 1302 in Kortrijk
cripples the industrial power of the patriciërs. The fight under Jacob
and Filips van Artevelde seals the victory of democracy. The 14de
century book a huge reverse gear on economic area. Lack of wool,
reduction of the markets, the epidemic of 1316 who killed a large part of
the population, the banishment of many craftsmen after the battle at
Cassel in 1328. Furthermore, in 1383 the English army (supported by the
rival town of Ghent) destroyed the surroundings of Ypres. All of this led
to a downfall of the cloth production and the entire economy of the
city.From 1385 up to 1585 Ypres experience a decline period. In 1491 Ypres
counted only 7.600 inhabitants.
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Ypres in 1567 (Stedelijk museum
Ypres) |
From
1559 up to 1801 Ypres became a bishop city and a lot of cloisters
where build, but for economy this is not very good.
During
the religious troubles in the 16th century the town was
under an 8 month siege by the Duke of Parma. When the siege
ended, Ypres was plundered and many inhabitants killed. |
In the 17th
century Ypres was taken by the French. In order to better defend this
strategic place, the architect Vauban, had large defense walls built
around the city. From 1559 to 1801 Ypres became an important religious
center. After the 18th century Ypres had lost all its strategic and
economic importance.
After
the independence of Belgium in 1830, orders where given to destroy the
ramparts but because of bad economy this happened very slow and at the end
of the 19th century the Ypres council decided to give an other
purpose to the ramparts and save them.
The town
came again into the spotlights during the First World War. Ypres
was situated right in the middle of the frontline between the Germans and
the Allied troops. An almost complete destruction of the city was the
result. After the war Ypres was almost completely rebuilt when the second
war broke out. This time Ypres did not suffer from destruction because
there is no strategic railway system in the town.
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Between
those two pictures: 4 years of misery, destruction, death and
suffering. Who won the War? |
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| Ypres: Cloth
Hall in 1914 |
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Ypres:
Cloth Hall in 1919 |
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Today
every day at 20.00 hours the Firemen from Ypres play the Last Post
at the Menin gate and that since 1928. |
| Meningate in
Ypres |
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For more information about the
history of Flanders and Ypres: http://noosphere.cc/flandersHistory.html
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