Belgium: All about West Flanders Quiz

Answer: Church of Our Lady

The Church of Our Lady began as a small church constructed from wood in the 9th century. The popularity of the church grew and it was expanded in the following centuries, with construction of the grand Gothic structure beginning around 1210-1230. The Church of Our Lady was sold twice, first during the French Revolution and again in World War II.

"Madonna of Bruges" by Michelangelo is made of marble, and was sculpted between 1503-1505. This sculpture was the only work of Michelangelo's that was taken abroad from Italy during his lifetime. The sculpture was removed from the church in 1794 during the French Revolution. Following Napoleon's defeat during the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, the sculpture was returned.

During the Second World War, the sculpture was again taken from the Church of Our Lady in 1944 by the Nazis. The statue was discovered in an Austrian salt mine and returned to Bruges in 1945.

Answer: Zeeland

The border between the Dutch province of Zeeland and West Flanders is chiefly defined by the Zwin, which is a nature reserve and popular tourism spot by the North Sea coast.

The French department of Nord lies south of West Flanders.

Answer: Kemmelberg

At around 500 feet (155 m) high, the Kemmelberg (also known as "Mont Kemmel") is the highest peak in West Flanders. The village of Kemmel lies to the east of the hill.

The Kemmelberg was a large part of the battlefield during World War I at the Battle of the Lys (also known as the "Fourth Battle of Ypres") in 1918 due to its strategic location. This battle saw the death of thousands of French soldiers, a monument to whom features on the Kemmelberg. Due to Germany's success in the battle, some German streets and army barracks were named for the hill, such as the Kemmelkaserne in Murnau, Bavaria, and Kemmel-Privatweg in Magdeburg, the capital of Saxony-Anhalt.

The Kemmelberg features a former air coordination command bunker operated by NATO until the 1950s, which now operates as a historical attraction.

Answer: Ypres

Ypres is situated near Belgium's border with France, along the Yperlee River.

The Gothic style Cloth Hall was constructed in Ypres by 1304. A Medieval cloth hall was a large building or complex of buildings that served as a trading hub for goods, but cloth in particular. The Ypres Cloth Hall faced near complete obliteration by German forces in World War I. The building was reconstructed by 1967, almost exactly as the original cloth hall had stood before.

Within Cloth Hall resides the "In Flanders Fields Museum" which is a World War I museum that focuses heavily on personal stories within its interactive exhibition, in order to give visitors a realistic feel for what happened in the region during the war.

The Cloth Hall was painted in 1918 while it lay in ruins by James Kerr-Lawson, a painting which since 1921 stands in the Centre Block, the main building of the Parliament of Canada in Ottawa.

Answer: De Panne

Located close to Belgium's border with France, the coastal town of De Panne is a popular resort destination and is well known for its beautiful dunes and nature spots.

De Panne is known for the Belgian Military Cemetery of De Panne, which hosts the graves of around 3,750 of the Belgian military from the First World War.

British military pilot and recipient of the Victoria Cross, John Aidan Liddell, died in De Panne of septic shock in 1915, aged 27. Around 200 civilians of De Panne died there during World War II, mainly due to Operation Dynamo, the military operation to evacuate British troops from Dunkirk.

Answer: Poperinge

Poperinge is situated in the southwest corner of West Flanders. The mild climate and rich soil makes Poperinge an ideal area to grow hops, a tradition and business that has stayed with Poperinge for centuries. The city features a museum dedicated to hops, where visitors can learn about the history, cultivation, harvesting and brewing of them.

Dirk Frimout is an astronaut and was the first Belgian in space. He was born in Poperine in 1941.

Answer: Donatian of Reims

Donatian of Reims (also the patron saint of Reims) is depicted holding a wheel with five candles lit on it. This is because according to legend, Donatian was thrown into the River Tiber as a child and clung to a wheel that had been thrown in after him for three days, saving his life. Donatian became the 8th Bishop of Reims in about 360 and served until his death around 389.

Count Baldwin I of Flanders came into the possession of Donatian of Reims' relics in the 9th century. The first church dedicated to Donatian in Bruges was constructed in 950 under the orders of Arnulf I, Count of Flanders. In 1127, Charles the Good, Count of Flanders, was assassinated in the church, leading to serious political unrest around the region.

St. Donatian's Cathedral was destroyed in 1799 during the French Revolution. In modern times, the Crowne Plaza Hotel stands where the cathedral once stood. The foundations of the cathedral can still be seen within the hotel's basement.

Answer: Blankenberge

Blankenberge is a popular seaside resort in West Flanders. It was a favourite holiday destination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria (1863-1914).

The SEA LIFE aquarium in Blankenberge features a seal sanctuary. Seals that are found to be injured, unwell or orphaned on the Belgian coast are taken to the sanctuary for care. The aquarium also features breeding programmes for sea species that are in danger of extinction or threatened with it. The aquarium has sea lions, penguins and otters.

Answer: Ostend

Ostend is a coastal city of West Flanders.

Mercator was constructed by former Scottish shipbuilders, Ramage & Ferguson Ltd, in 1932. This sailing ship was recorded to have visited 54 countries. It has 15 sails covering around 1,600 square m in sail area.

In 1936, Mercator transported the remains of Father Damien back to Belgium. Father Damien was canonized as a saint due to his missionary work helping people with leprosy in Hawaii.

In 1943, the British claimed Mercator and would not return the ship to Belgium until 1947.

Mercator has been docked as a memorial ship (also known as a museum ship) at Ostend since 1964 and has been listed as a protected monument in Belgium since 1994.

Answer: Wijnendale Castle

Located in the village of Wijnendale, West Flanders, Wijnendale Castle as it stands today was fully restored by the 19th century, however, sections of the castle's north wing are from the 15th century. Robert I, Count of Flanders, established the first castle at this site in the 11th century, which he used as a base for his military excursions.

Wijnendale Castle is located northwest of the city of Torhout, West Flanders. It has gone through considerable restoration over the years after being besieged and ruined throughout history. For instance, the castle was confiscated in 1792 by the French during the French Revolution, and was reduced to ruins by 1811.

Mary of Burgundy (1457-1482) was the only child of Charles the Bold and Isabella of Bourbon. A member of the Valois-Burgundy French noble family, her nickname was "Mary the Rich." Her husband was Maximilian of Austria. Mary was taking part in falcon hunting in 1482 around the grounds of Wijnendale Castle. Her horse threw her off of its back and then fell on top of her, subsequently breaking her back. Mary was pregnant at the time and died weeks after her accident.

Answer: Koekelare

Koekelare is located in the west of West Flanders.

The site where the Batterie Pommern once fired to Dunkirk is now a museum. The naval gun was a 38 cm SK L/45, and was modified by Krupp. This alteration to the gun allowed it to have an extended range, reaching Dunkirk from Koekelare (which is around a 30 mile (50 km) distance). The first time the gun was fired was a direct hit on Dunkirk in 1917. The gun was originally designed to be used on battleships but was instead used on land, mounted on an armoured steel bridge.

The gun was sold to France in 1924, and recaptured by the Germans during the invasion of France in 1940, where it was likely scrapped to assist the Nazi war effort.

The site where the gun once stood has been visited by many public figures such as Winston Churchill, Hirohito, King George V of England and Woodrow Wilson.

Answer: Jan Breydel Stadium

Located in Bruges and opened in 1975, Jan Breydel Stadium has a capacity of around 29,000 people. The pitch is a mixture of real and artificial grass which has been in use since 2015. The stadium is unusual as it is the home ground for two rival football teams: Club Brugge and Cercle Brugge.

Answer: Ypres

Designed by renowned British architect, Reginald Blomfield (1856-1942) and completed in 1927, the Menin Gate commemorates 55,000 who were never found and presumed dead during the Ypres Salient during World War I. The youngest names are ten 15-year olds, the oldest being a 60-year old private. The highest ranking officer commemorated here is Brigadier General Charles Fitzclarence, a recipient of the Victoria Cross, who was killed in battle in Polygon Wood, a forest between Ypres and Zonnebeke.

Since 1928 (excluding four years during the Nazi occupation during the Second World War) "The Last Post" has been played at 8pm at the Menin Gate daily by buglers. The same evening that Ypres was liberated by the Polish army on September 6, 1944, the tradition resumed.

The monument however, is not universally beloved. It was grossly underestimated how much space would be needed to commemorate the sheer amount of missing people. The gate was too small to fit all the names of the missing. 35,000 extra names were recorded at West Flander's Tyne Cot Memorial instead. British war poet, Siegfried Sassoon, was also not overstruck on the memorial, calling it "sepulchre of crime."

In 2024, the Menin Gate was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Answer: Waregem

Waregem is located in the southwest of West Flanders, in Leie River Valley, near the border with East Flanders.

Sprawling over a 6.2-acre site, the Flanders Field American Cemetery and Memorial is a war cemetery containing the graves of around 370 American soldiers of World War I, with over 40 names listed on the Wall of the Missing. It is the only American military cemetery for the lost the First World War in Belgium. The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) is responsible for the upkeep of the cemetery.

The chapel on the cemetery's grounds features an antique black and white altar, draped in flags, with a crusader's sword outlined in gold placed above it.

Answer: Groeningemuseum

Dedicated to Saint Bartholomew,, Eekhout Abbey was a Medieval abbey used by the Canons Regular of Saint Augustine. The abbey was dissolved and confiscated during the French Revolution, and fully demolished following being sold as state property in 1803.

The Groeningemuseum displays six centuries worth of Belgian art in its premises. Works from Jan van Eyck (who has often been coined the "the inventor of oil-painting") Hans Memling, Hugo van der Goes, Ambrosius Benson, Lancelot Blondeel and Gerard David adorn the walls, as well as neo-classical art from Joseph Odevaere and Joseph Ducq, all the way to modern art from the 20th century from René Magritte, Raoul De Keyser and Roger Raveel.

Answer: Saint Martin's Church

Kortrijk is located in the southwest of West Flanders, near the border with France (around 5.5 miles (9 km) from it), along the River Leie.

The Gothic and Medieval Saint Martin's Church was constructed between 1390-1466 on the site of a church that had burned down. The site had been a place of worship since at least 650 AD. It features a still standing Brabantine Gothic stone tower that has stood since 1439. In 1862, lightning struck the tower, destroying any wood in the tower's structure with the subsequent fire.

Flemish Renaissance painter, Bernard de Rijckere, painted "Triptych of the Holy Spirit" in 1587, a work which is on display at Saint Martin's Church.

Answer: Ostend

First constructed in 1883, the Hippodrome Wellington has been frequently used as a horse-racing track and was reconstructed in 2011.

The Hippodrome Wellington has also been home to several concerts, such as Michael Jackson in 1997, David Bowie in 2002 and Bon Jovi in 2003. Michael Jackson's 1997 concert here was due to take place on August 31, 1997, however, this was rescheduled for September 3, 1997, after the death of Princess Diana, a friend of Michael Jackson. Jackson dedicated the concert to her and had imagery of Diana flashing on screens behind him throughout his performance.

Answer: John of Nepomuk

The two Medieval towers (known as the Broel Towers) were not constructed at the same time. The southern tower was completed by 1385, the northern tower by 1415. The southern tower was originally used to control and tax traffic on the River Leie. The northern tower was primarily used to store weapons.

The bridge between the two towers features a statue of Saint John of Nepomuk, the patron saint of the drowned. The statue has fallen into the River Leie several times when the area has been in the grip of war.

Answer: Thierry of Alsace

The Basilica of the Holy Blood was constructed by 1157.

After the Second Crusade (1147-1149) Thierry of Alsace, Count of Flanders, returned from combat in Jerusalem with a vial containing a cloth that was said to contain the blood of Christ. He came to have this relic when his brother in law, King Baldwin III of Jerusalem, gave it to him as a reward for his military service during the Second Crusade.

The blood is said to have been originally collected by Joseph of Arimathea, a Biblical figure who had the duty of organising the burial of Christ. There is no concrete evidence that either proves of disproves the legitimacy of the vial.

Answer: Diksmuide

Diksmuide is located on the Yser River. Almost all of the city had to be rebuilt after World War I, with most of its historic buildings lost to the war's destruction.

Yser Tower as it stands in modern times was constructed in 1965, replacing the original that was destroyed with dynamite in 1946, following the Second World War when Flemish nationalists were accused of collaborating with the Nazis. The original was constructed in 1930 to memorialize those killed in Yser during World War I. The bottom of the tower is inscribed with "Never Again War" in Dutch, English, French and German.

Yser Tower is around 275 feet (85 m) tall. Atop the tower is a large cross with "AVV-VVK" which is short for "Alles Voor Vlaanderen, Vlaanderen Voor Kristus" ("All for Flanders, Flanders for Christ"), the Flemish nationalist motto.