Attractions and Places To See around Mesen - Top 20

some very beautiful works on the route

On this path on the edge of the Bos van Hellegat you dive into a beautiful green vegetation tunnel.

The Cloth Hall in Ypres is one of the largest Gothic-style civil buildings in Europe. Built between 1230 and 1304, it served as a covered market place for cloth, an important trade product in the Middle Ages. The 70-metre high belfry, which was built from 1250 onwards, emphasises the power and wealth of the city of Ypres at that time. During the First World War, the Cloth Hall was completely destroyed, but it was later meticulously rebuilt and completed in 1967. Today it houses the In Flanders Fields Museum and the Ypres Museum.

The Cloth Hall (Flemish: Lakenhalle van Ieper) is a large, Gothic building complex located in the center of the Flemish city of Ypres. The complex originally dates back to the 13th century. The foundation stone is said to have been laid around 1200 by the Count of Flanders, and its construction lasted until 1304. The hall served as a transshipment and storage area for textiles (cloth hall). Part of the ensemble is a 70-meter-high belfry with a carillon that plays every half hour. On November 4, 1914, the German general Berthold von Deimling had the famous medieval Cloth Hall reduced to rubble and ashes without any military reason and against the express orders of his commander-in-chief, Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria. The Cloth Hall was reconstructed as faithfully as possible to the original from the 1920s to 1967. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The building is made largely of sandstone from the Arras region. The upper floor and corner turrets of the belfry, as well as the corner turrets of the hall, are mainly built of the yellow brick typical of West Flanders. In contrast to many buildings of the Brick Gothic style in Flanders, the brick here is drowned out by the lavish stone decoration.

Nice square with many restaurants and cafes.

Beautiful old town, buildings worth seeing. Oppressive museum. Lots of interesting information in the tourist information office.

The name Hellegatbos refers to a deep ‘ravine’ at the bottom of the hillside (the ‘hole in hell’; ‘helle’ means ‘hill’). Especially in spring, Wood Anemone and Wild Bluebells provide a carpet of white and blue hues. At the foot of the mountain, a thick layer of clay emerges from which various springs emerge. Characteristic plants here are Marsh Marigold, Giant Horsetail and Wild Garlic. (Heuvelland Tourism)

In 1173, historical sources first mention a Halla in Ypres: a covered hall where cloth was traded. It is probably a wooden construction. It is unclear whether there was also a belfry at that time. Construction of the imposing complex that we know today started around 1250 and was completed around 1378. It is Europe's largest civil complex in Gothic style. The importance of the Cloth Hall and the belfry for the city of Ypres can hardly be overestimated. It is a building complex with great symbolic value. This symbolism has changed greatly over the centuries. But throughout this history and changing symbolism for the Cloth Hall and the belfry of Ypres, there is one constant. The Cloth Hall and the belfry tower symbolize the city itself. When Ypres started building this complex in the mid-thirteenth century, the ambition was clear: to create a monumental building that reflected the civil power and worldly wealth of Ypres. At that time, Ypres was one of the three most powerful cities in Flanders, a rich and powerful county. The Cloth Hall must make this power and wealth clear. (Ypermuseum)