In the city of Ypres (also known as leper), a town in the Belgian province of West Flanders

 No matter what you do in the city of Ypres, your thoughts will not be far from the devastation and loss of World War 1 and the city will ultimately always be haunted by its past.

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(in western Belgium) Ypres (also known as Ieper) is a place with a haunting past. Expect to be moved when visiting this city, which played such an important role in the First World War -- and saw the loss of a generation of soldiers during the fierce battles that took place here and in the surrounding areas. It is believed that 300,000 soldiers lost their lives on the front line here known as the Salient. As you might expect, there are plenty of war museums, memorials, military cemeteries, and battlefields to tour, learn about, and explore.

+ While visiting Ypres, you should be prepared to see many solemn places but there is also plenty of charm in the city to appreciate too. Surprisingly, much of the medieval architecture remains or has been restored and like many Belgian cities, the market square contains an impressive array of architecture. There is also good food, with particular attention paid to traditional Flemish cuisine (and beer). No matter what you do in the city of Ypres, your thoughts will not be far from the devastation and loss of World War 1 -- and the city that will always be haunted by its past.

+ The Ypres municipality, in the West Flanders province of Belgium, lies along the Yperlee (Ieperlee) River, south of Ostend. Ypres became a major cloth-weaving city in the Middle Ages, and together with Brugge and Ghent. it virtually controlled Flanders in the 13th century. The town was frequently besieged by the French in the 17th century. Ypres was the principal town within an important salient, or bulge, in the British lines on the Western Front during World War I. The Ypres salient was the site of three major battles -- First Ypres (October–November 1914), Second Ypres (April–May 1915; marked by the Germans’ first use of poison gas as a weapon), and Third Ypres (also called Passchendaele; July–November 1917)—with total Allied and German casualties exceeding 850,000. Ypres itself was completely destroyed during the fighting and was subsequently rebuilt in its original style. Its notable structures include the magnificent Cloth Hall (originally from 1214); the Cathedral of St. Martin (13th century), which contains the tomb of Cornelius Otto Jansen, bishop of Ypres and founder of Jansenism; the medieval ramparts, which were rebuilt by Sébastien de Vauban in the 17th century; the Lille Gate; and the Menin Gate, a memorial to the British soldiers who died in World War I. There are 140 cemeteries, mostly containing war graves, in the environs. Ypres is now an agricultural market center and manufactures textiles and building materials. ( "In Flanders Fields, the poppies blow. Between the crosses row on row..." So begins the poem for which the museum, (shown here) that offers a stark portrayal of the realities of combat in Ypres, is named.)