Trench Of Death

The Trench of Death runs alongside the river Yser and was initially dug by the Belgian army in 1915 as an approach trench towards the German positions. The Germans did the same on their side. After a period of heavy fighting the Belgians made a breach into the Yser *blocked text*, which led to both camps separated by only a narrow strip of water.

Both camps fortified their positions with concrete bunkers, trenches and firing posts. This dangerous stalemate remained for three long years. The Belgian position and an advanced German bunker have been preserved to this day. They provide a unique insight into daily life at the front. The story of Belgians and Germans is also told in the visitor centre by means of interactive applications, photographs, film footage and more than one hundred original artefacts.

During the First World War, the Trench of Death was hell on the Yser Front, today it is a poignant reminder of those times, striking a chord with each and every visitor!