Ypres Cloth Hall (Dutch: Lakenhal or Lakenhalle), in Ypres ( Ieper ), Belgium. February 2014

Ypres Cloth Hall (Dutch: Lakenhal or Lakenhalle), in Ypres ( Ieper ), Belgium. February 2014
Ypres seen as a rain storm passes over viewed from Hooge a few miles to the east, on the Ypres salient. The Cloth Hall and Belfry is in the center, on the right is Saint-Martin's Cathedral and on the left is Saint-Peter' Church, all re built to their original design after being destroyed in WW1.
The Cloth Hall (Dutch: Lakenhal or Lakenhalle) in Ypres, Belgium, was one of the largest commercial buildings of the Middle Ages, when it served as the main market and warehouse for the Flemish city's prosperous cloth industry. The original structure, erected mainly in the 13th century and completed 1304, lay in ruins after artillery fire devastated Ypres in World War I. Between 1933 and 1967, the hall was meticulously reconstructed to its prewar condition, under the guidance of architects J. Coomans and P.A. Pauwels. At 125 metres in breadth, with a 70-metre-high belfry tower, the Cloth Hall recalls the importance and wealth of the medieval trade city.
Ypres Cloth Hall during World War I

In a row spanning the front of the edifice are tall pointed arches that alternately enclose windows and blind niches. Before the Great War, the niches framed life-size statues of historical personages, counts and countesses of Flanders. The niches on the side wings are now mostly vacant, but those in the centre contain statues of Count Baldwin IX of Flanders and Mary of Champagne, legendary founders of the building; and King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth, under whose reign the reconstruction began. Situated between these two couples, directly above the central archway entrance or Donkerpoort, is a statue of Our Lady of Thuyne, the patron of Ypres.

The belfry, capped with four turrets and a spire, houses a carillon with 49 bells. From a pole atop the spire a gilded dragon overlooks the city. The tower offers an expansive view of the surroundings, and was used as a watchtower in centuries past. It ha

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Contained in galleries: 1914 - 2014 The 100th Anniversary of the start of WW1

Ypres Cloth Hall (Dutch: Lakenhal or Lakenhalle), in Ypres ( Ieper ), Belgium. February 2014<br />
Ypres seen as a rain storm passes over viewed from Hooge a few miles to the east, on the Ypres salient. The Cloth Hall and Belfry is in the center, on the right is Saint-Martin's Cathedral and on the left is Saint-Peter' Church, all re built to their original design after being destroyed in WW1.<br />
The Cloth Hall (Dutch: Lakenhal or Lakenhalle) in Ypres, Belgium, was one of the largest commercial buildings of the Middle Ages, when it served as the main market and warehouse for the Flemish city's prosperous cloth industry. The original structure, erected mainly in the 13th century and completed 1304, lay in ruins after artillery fire devastated Ypres in World War I. Between 1933 and 1967, the hall was meticulously reconstructed to its prewar condition, under the guidance of architects J. Coomans and P.A. Pauwels. At 125 metres in breadth, with a 70-metre-high belfry tower, the Cloth Hall recalls the importance and wealth of the medieval trade city.<br />
Ypres Cloth Hall during World War I<br />
<br />
In a row spanning the front of the edifice are tall pointed arches that alternately enclose windows and blind niches. Before the Great War, the niches framed life-size statues of historical personages, counts and countesses of Flanders. The niches on the side wings are now mostly vacant, but those in the centre contain statues of Count Baldwin IX of Flanders and Mary of Champagne, legendary founders of the building; and King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth, under whose reign the reconstruction began. Situated between these two couples, directly above the central archway entrance or Donkerpoort, is a statue of Our Lady of Thuyne, the patron of Ypres.<br />
<br />
The belfry, capped with four turrets and a spire, houses a carillon with 49 bells. From a pole atop the spire a gilded dragon overlooks the city. The tower offers an expansive view of the surroundings, and was used as a watchtower in centuries past. It ha