Ypres

Ypres is an ancient town, and is known to have been raided by the Romans in the first century BC . The town of Ypres originated on the banks of the river Ieperlee. During the Middle Ages, Ypres was a prosperous city with a population of 40,000. Nowadays, the town of Ypres (in Dutch : Ieper) looks like a small quiet provincial town. The gigantic cloth hall overlooks the market square of this beautifully rebuilt medieval town.

The past is always just one step away. Ypres was one of the most important cloth producing and cloth trading cities of the county of Flanders in the high Middle Ages. In order to maintain its wealth, Ypres had to be fortified to keep out invaders. Parts of the early ramparts, dating from 1385, still survive near the Rijselpoort (Lille Gate). The famous Cloth Hall was built in the thirteenth century. During the same period, cats, then the symbol of the devil were thrown off the cloth hall to get rid of evil demons. Today, this act is commemorated with a triennial Cat Parade through town.

From 1914 onwards Ypres was in the middle of the frontline between the German and the Allied Armies of the First World War in Flanders. The town was the scene of some of the hardest fights of the war. By 1918 almost nothing remained of the city. Ypres was bombed to pieces and almost wiped off the face of the earth. On 11 November 1918, the German capitulation was signed in a railway carriage. On the eleventh day of the eleventh month at 11 am, arms were finally laid down.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly,
Scarce heard amidst the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields


Ramparts


The city has been surrounded by ramparts since the Middle Ages. The present rampart structure is the work of the French fortress expert Vauban who was given an assignment by the French Sun King Louis XIV in 1678. The star-shaped layout of the defences, with their surrounding moats and canals, is typical of his work. Ypres had been a fortified town for centuries before Vauban came onto the scene: the earliest fortifications were built in the 14th century by the Burgundians.

After the Belgian independence in 1830, orders were given to destroy the ramparts, but because of the waning economic situation this happened very slowly and at the end of the 19th century the Ypres council decided to give them another purpose in order to save them.
From 1853 onwards the rampart complex was partly dismantled. In the covered halls, corridors and bunkers, there was provision for sleeping quarters, headquarters, hospitals,...
These underground buildings are accessible via guided tours. At present, the rampart walls form a unique walking area around the inner city, brimming with cultural, historical and scenic features.

Cats parade

It is a well-known fact that during the Middle Ages many cats were sacrificed in Europe. The cats were burnt, beaten to death or simply thrown to their death. It is not clear whether the people in the Middle Ages wanted to punish the cat as adisturber of the peace, to renounce evil or simply to continue the ritual of cat sacrifices.

During the Middle Ages the ‘Grote Markt’ in Ypres got overcrowded on Cat Wednesday (the last day of the annual fair). The city jester would throw living cats to their death from the belfry tower.

With a few short or long interruptions Ypres has observed this cat throwing custom for centuries.
The last time living cats were thrown was in 1817. In 1938 the tradition was revived by throwing velvet cats from the tower. From 1946 onwards the cat throwing was introduced by a small parade. In 1955 the first major Cat Parade was introduced to the public.

The Cat Parade became an annual tradition with many milestones: important, even royal guests, guest appearances of twinned cat towns, the introduction of the ‘Snoezepoezen’ (Cuddly Kitties), Eurovision broadcasts, new floats and new groups. From 1991 onwards the Cat Parade has been held every three years.