Overview:

: Menin Gate is a memorial in Ypres, Belgium, dedicated to the British and Commonwealth troops who were killed in the Ypres sector of the western front during the First World War. It is one of four such memorials erected in the town, along with the Hyde Park Memorial, the Ramparts Memorial and the Hooge Crater Cemetery. The names of 54,896 missing soldiers are inscribed on the walls of the Menin Gate. Every night at 8 p.m., a ceremony of Last Post is held at the gate, during which buglers from the local fire brigade sound the Last Post. This tradition has been maintained since 1928 and is one of the more stirring and moving tributes to the fallen of the First World War. It is one of the most beautiful monuments in Belgium
Prominent Features:

- Menin Gate is a large memorial in Ypres, Belgium, dedicated to the soldiers of the British and Commonwealth armies who died in the Ypres Salient of World War I, and whose graves are unknown. - The gate is the site of the daily playing of the Last Post by buglers of the Last Post Association at 8 pm, beneath the Menin Gate. - The memorial was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield and the sculpture served as his masterpiece. - The memorial consists of a tall arched hall through which runs a roadway leading south to the city of Ypres. - The inscription on the east, south and west walls of the memorial reads: "To the armies of the British Empire who stood here from 1914 to 1918 and to those of their dead who have no known grave." - At the entrance of the memorial, a panel bears the words: "Here are recorded names of officers and men who fell in Ypres Salient but to whom the fortune of war denied the known and honoured burial given to their comrades in death." You can learn history, culture, and heritage through these magnificent monuments in Belgium.

History:

The Menin Gate is a war memorial located in Ypres, Belgium, to remember the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed during the First World War. The names of 54,896 soldiers who were lost in the battles of the Ypres Salient, who died and have no known grave, are inscribed on the gates. The idea for the memorial was proposed by a group of citizens in Ypres in 1919. The concept was approved by the government and by the Imperial War Graves Commission. Construction of the memorial took 7 years, with the first stones being laid in 1922. It was completed in 1927 after a total of 300,000 bricks were used. The Menin Gate became a popular tourist destination after the war, and since the 1950s, policemen have been stationed there at 8 pm every night to perform the Last Post Ceremony, which is also known as the ‘Ypres Salient’s Last Post’. The ceremony, which honours the dead, has been conducted every day without interruption since July 2nd 1928. The Menin Gate was destroyed in a shelling attack in November 1944. It was rebuilt and reopened in 1947. The rebuilt memorial is slightly shorter, and the bells that once hung at the top were replaced by stone reliefs of figures from the various WWII battles at Ypres. In 2017, a Sculpture for Peace was added to the structure, which includes a bronze sculpture of two hands releasing a dove. Today, the Menin Gate symbolises the sacrifice of the British and Commonwealth soldiers who died during the Great War and stands as a testament to their valour. Visit one of the famous monuments of Belgium with your friends and family.

Interesting facts:

1. The Menin Gate is an impressive war memorial located in Ypres, Belgium. It was built in 1927 as a tribute to the soldiers from Britain and the Commonwealth Countries who fought in the Ypres Salient of World War I and whose graves are unknown. 2. The Menin Gate is part of a complex of war memorials in Ypres called 'Ypres (Ieper) Salient Memorials', which includes other memorial sites such as Hill 60 and Sanctuary Wood. 3. The memorial is inscribed with the following words – 'To the Armies of the British Empire who stood here from 1914 to 1918 and to those of their dead who have no known grave'. 4. Every night since 1928, the traffic is halted at 8pm and the volunteer members of the Last Post Association sound the Last Post in the middle of the traffic circle. 5. The Last Post is a traditional piece of music written by Dutch composer, Jacques Leboucher, that has been played at the Menin Gate since 1928. 6. The Menin Gate is featured in the 2018 World War I movie ‘1917’ and it plays an important role in the movie’s plot. One of the historical monuments of Belgium, it tells the story of a bygone era