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Menin Gate Memorial, Ieper (Ypres)

4.8

#1 of 81 in Things to do in Ieper (Ypres)

Monument Landmark Must See

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Menin Gate Memorial straddles one of the main roads that led soldiers to the front line during World War I and commemorates fallen soldiers whose graves are unknown. Some 54,896 names of Commonwealth soldiers who gave their lives during the war are inscribed on a memorial wall. The triumphal arch, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield, leads to a barrel-vaulted passage through the mausoleum. You'll feel the weight of these soldiers' sacrifice as you read through thousands of names of missing and unaccounted-for men. The memorial gate attracts hordes of visitors to a ceremony held nightly to honor the brave soldiers. Every night since July 2, 1928 (except during occupation in the Second World War), local police have stopped traffic on the street while buglers have played "Last Post" to show gratitude for the men who gave their lives for Belgium's freedom. To visit Menin Gate Memorial on your holiday in Ieper (Ypres), and find out what else Ieper (Ypres) has to offer, use our Ieper (Ypres) road trip planning tool .

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Menin Gate Memorial Reviews

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TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

4,797 reviews

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4.7

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4.9

2,312 likes

• By Borderer12

  Unmissable. The ceremony is conducted with dignity and love and gratitude and must be a once in a life time experience for those who come to lay personal wreaths. It is profoundly moving.  more »

• By gasti1975

  Każdy kto czytał historie różnych wojen wie że wojna zbiera ogromne żniwa wśród żołnierzy i cywili. Jeśli poczytać o tym co się działo po Ypres to człowiek jest przerażony ogromem ludzi którzy tam zgi...  more »

  Anyone who has read the stories of different wars knows that war is harvesting a huge harvest among soldiers and civilians. If you read about what happened after Ypres then the man is terrified of the enormity of the people who died there. It even more reaches the man as he stands in this gate and realizes that he looks at 53,000 people who have given their lives in that war and who have never been found. Frightening and at the same time immense respect for those who after so many years come to Ypres and lay flowers to a sign of remembrance of those who from this alien land never returned home. It was very memorable for me.
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• By Jo Baker

  The last post was very reverent. Get there at least an hour early so you can get a good position as the crowds swell every night into the 100’s. The crowd clears very quickly after the ceremony so it is worth waiting around for 15 minutes. We went and had a drink at the local pub and then went and explored the gate once the crowds had dispersed.

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• By Samuel Powell

  The fact that it was built to commemorate 54000 soldiers of the British empire who have no known grave, must make it the most important WW1 memorial in all of Flanders. The nightly Last Post ceremony is very poignant.

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