The thousand inhabitants of the French village of Orne, on the edge of a forest in the early 20th century, were awoken from their idyllic lives at the outbreak of the First World War.
Discover the beauty of Europe's abandoned places, from desolate factories to forgotten ghosttowns, and uncover the stories behind these haunting relics of the past.
The thousand inhabitants of the French village of Orne, on the edge of a forest in the early 20th century, were awoken from their idyllic lives at the outbreak of the First World War.
The bayonet trench in Douamont, France, is a war memorial on the Verdun battlefield that rests on a war myth.
Although today, Vloethemveld is a 350-hectare nature reserve a stone's throw from Bruges, it was once home to a Belgian army ammunition depot and the nature area also hides other military secrets.
In 1930, when Belgium celebrated its centenary, Antwerp and Liège staged a world exhibition. Dozens of countries settled there and built pavilions to show their best sides, including Sweden.
Together with Liège, Antwerp was home to the 1930 World's Exposition, a double exhibition that the Bureau International des Expositions did not recognise.
In the shadow of Drunen's medieval castle, ‘Het Land van Ooit’ opened in 1989, a leisure park in which knights and counts played the leading role.
In the 1950s, anyone who wanted to cross the Upper Merwede had to rely on a ferry service. This was not very convenient in emergencies.
During the final months of World War I, the British Army Troop Company Royal Engineers erected a concrete bridge over the Kemmelbeek near Ypres.
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While infrastructure is crucial for any country's smooth functioning, Belgium boasts some examples of construction that leave locals and tourists scratching their heads, like useless tunnels, bridges, and dead-end roads.
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