27 Flemish WWI sites recognised as UNESCO heritage sites: “It is important that we continue to tell the story of the Great War”

139 World War I cemeteries and memorial sites along the Western Front are being added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Included in Flanders are 27 cemeteries and memorial sites, such as the Menin Gate in Ypres. Flemish Heritage Minister Matthias Diependaele is pleased. “In Flanders, the commemoration of World War I is part of our identity. It is important that we continue to tell this story. Work on this file has taken over 15 years. So I am also happy for all the people who contributed to this.”

“In these types of files, decisions are not reached overnight. It is a long-term undertaking; you need time to reach a supported project with a lot of people, a common project in which people can recognise their identity and culture. I am proud that I can now finish the campaign that my predecessor, Geert Bourgeois, initiated. The bilateral contacts I was able to establish with the committee members have also clearly borne fruit. In Westhoek, the memory of the war of more than 100 years ago is still very tangible and a daily reality for the residents. The bodies of soldiers are still being found.”

For all time

During a visit to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission at the end of last year, Matthias Diependaele ensured that cooperation on the World Heritage file was resumed. This was successful. “Visitors from all over the world commemorate their ancestors and find solace here. They are also places that invite reflection and tangibly tell the world’s history. The World Heritage Committee has now recognised that this heritage is so important to the world community that we want to pass it on safely to future generations, preferably for all time.”