EXHIBITIONS IN ZONNEBEKE, HEUVELLAND AND WAREGEM COMMEMORATHE LAST YEAR OF THE GREAT WAR

One hundred years after the end of WWI, the municipalities of Zonnebeke, Heuvelland and Waregem commemorate the last year of the Great War with the project '1918 - The Final Offensive'. Here, three temporary exhibitions highlight different aspects of the last year of the war. From Saturday 21 April  to the end of 2018 everyone can visit these exhibitions for free.

The project came about through a collaboration between the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917, the municipalities of Zonnebeke and Heuvelland and the city of Waregem. Together they tell the story of the war year 1918 and the liberation. This project was made possible thanks to financial support from Tourism Flanders.

Three complementary exhibitions

The three exhibitions tell the story of the Final Offensive in Flanders from a specific perspective. The temporary exhibition '1918 - The Last Year of the Great War' at Villa Zonnedaele in Zonnebeke is the entry point of the project. The exhibition, including personal objects of King Albert I, gives a general introduction to the last year of the war. The major role of the Belgians in the Liberation Offensive is discussed in detail here. Heuvelland tells the story of 'The Battle of Kemmel Hill' and the German Spring Offensive in the visitor center in Kemmel. The Spring Offensive was the last German attempt to force a breakthrough at the front, just before American troops were massively deployed. The exhibition 'The Yanks are coming' at Hippo.WAR in Waregem looks closer at the liberation of the city and also gives ample attention to the American units of the Army Group Flanders, which advanced between Waregem and the Scheldt.

All exhibitions are free to visit from 21 April to 15 November. The exhibition in Heuvelland will run until 15 December.

One tour of memorial places

The three exhibitions also highlight the scars in the current landscape and the numerous memorial sites. In this way, the municipalities want to encourage visitors to (re)discover the surrounding landscape. For this purpose, a tourist day program and a free visitor's guide were also developed to guide visitors around the area.

All information about the project and the exhibitions via www.finaloffensive1918.org and www.facebook.com/TheFinalOffensive1918



















The three exhibitions:

• 1918 - The last year of the Great War, Villa Zonnedaele, Berten Pilstraat 5C, 8980 Zonnebeke
• The battle of Kemmel Hill, BC Het Heuvelland, St._Laurentiusplein 1, 8950 Heuvelland
• The Yanks are coming, BC Hippo War, Holstraat 95, 8790 Waregem                       

Page made by Willy Roets.