Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917

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Main building of the museum Het kasteel.JPG
Main building of the museum
The dugout leads to a communication centre, a first-aid post, headquarters and beds for soldiers De dugout.jpg
The dugout leads to a communication centre, a first-aid post, headquarters and beds for soldiers
Officer at desk in dugout Helmen - bommen.JPG
Officer at desk in dugout
Trenches Loopgraven.JPG
Trenches
Model of the Zonnebeke Church Dugout, constructed by 171st Tunnelling Company Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 - Zonnebeke Church Dugout model.jpg
Model of the Zonnebeke Church Dugout, constructed by 171st Tunnelling Company
"Falls The Shadow" by Helen Pollock Falls The Shadow.JPG
"Falls The Shadow" by Helen Pollock

The Passchendaele Museum (until 2022 known as Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917) in Zonnebeke, Belgium, is a museum devoted to the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917 (also known as the Third Battle of Ypres). In this battle in only 100 days, almost 500,000 men were killed to gain only eight kilometres of ground.

Contents

The museum is housed in the historic château grounds of Zonnebeke and focuses on the material aspects of the First World War. [1]

History

The history of the Passchendaele Museum started in 1987. It featured the first exhibition about the Third Battle of Ypres (1917). This exhibition consisted of visual materials from the Imperial War Museum. This initial exhibition was considered successful, with 9,000 visitors, who attended, amongst other events, a large ceremony at Tyne Cot Cemetery and battlefield tours.

It was decided to put the château at the museum's disposal, with attention fixed on the war years, but also the Zonnebeke Augustinian Abbey and local history. The museum itself opened in 1989.

In 2002, it was decided to renew the museum. The museum was increased to three storeys and became a classic historical museum with a reconstructed dug-out being built. The renewed museum opened on Anzac Day 2004.

In 2007, during the commemoration of 90 years since the 'Third Battle of Ypres', the museum organised six thematic exhibitions that took place in different locations, along with creating three new trails.

In 2014, the former vicarage of Zonnebeke was restored to be used as research centre.

Theme: The Third Battle of Ypres

The main theme of the museum is the Third Battle of Ypres, also known as the Battle of Passchendaele. This was a major battle in 1917 during the First World War which was fought by British, Anzac and Canadian troops and the German army. The total loss of human lives is about 450,000, for only 8 km gain of ground. With this battle, the main goal was to eliminate an important part of the German Army.

Location

The historic château of Zonnebeke located on the area around the battlefields of 1917. It is less than 3 km from Polygon Wood and Tyne Cot, the largest cemetery of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Track

The track of the museum is about 600 metres and is situated in the château grounds of Zonnebeke.

Collection

The collection from the MMP1917 is dynamic. The head collection consists of militaria and many personal objects and documents.

- The old collection (obtained between 1989 and 2002)
- The Hill 60 collection
- The Vieux-Berquin collection
- The Fierens collection
- The personal collection

Passchendaele Research Centre

On 27 April 2014 the Passchendaele Museum opened a research centre in the former vicarage of Zonnebeke. The building houses an office for the museum's research staff, a library and reading room. The Passchendaele Research Centre is open to researchers and visitors with historical inquiries. The museum shares the building with the Zonnebeekse Heemvrienden, the local historical society.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Passchendaele</span> 1917 campaign of the First World War

The Third Battle of Ypres, also known as the Battle of Passchendaele, was a campaign of the First World War, fought by the Allies against the German Empire. The battle took place on the Western Front, from July to November 1917, for control of the ridges south and east of the Belgian city of Ypres in West Flanders, as part of a strategy decided by the Allies at conferences in November 1916 and May 1917. Passchendaele lies on the last ridge east of Ypres, 5 mi (8 km) from Roulers, a junction of the Bruges-(Brugge)-to-Kortrijk railway. The station at Roulers was on the main supply route of the German 4th Army. Once Passchendaele Ridge had been captured, the Allied advance was to continue to a line from Thourout to Couckelaere (Koekelare).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zonnebeke</span> Municipality in Flemish Community, Belgium

Zonnebeke is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages of Beselare, Gheluvelt, Passendale, Zandvoorde and Zonnebeke proper. On January 1, 2006, Zonnebeke had a total population of 11,758. The total area is 67.57 km2 which gives a population density of 174 inhabitants per km2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyne Cot</span> WWI CWGC cemetery near Passendale, Belgium

Tyne Cot Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery and Memorial to the Missing is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) burial ground for the dead of the First World War in the Ypres Salient on the Western Front. It is the largest cemetery for Commonwealth forces in the world, for any war. The cemetery and its surrounding memorial are located outside Passendale, near Zonnebeke in Belgium.

The Ypres Salient, around Ypres, in Belgium, was the scene of several battles and a major part of the Western Front during World War I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Passchendaele Canadian Memorial</span>

The Passchendaele Canadian Memorial is a Canadian war memorial that commemorates the actions of the Canadian Corps in the Second Battle of Passchendaele of World War I. The memorial is located on the former site of Crest Farm, an objective captured by the 4th Canadian Division during the assault of 30 October 1917.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Poelcappelle</span> October 1917 World War I battle

The Battle of Poelcappelle was fought in Flanders, Belgium, on 9 October 1917 by the British Second Army and Fifth Army against the German 4th Army, during the First World War. The battle marked the end of the string of highly successful British attacks in late September and early October, during the Third Battle of Ypres. Only the supporting attack in the north achieved a substantial advance. On the main front, the German defences withstood the limited amount of artillery fire achieved by the British after the attack of 4 October. The ground along the main ridges had been severely damaged by shelling and rapidly deteriorated in the rains, which began again on 3 October, turning some areas back into swamps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Polygon Wood</span> 1917 battle of the First World War

The Battle of Polygon Wood took place from 26 September to 3 October 1917, during the second phase of the Third Battle of Ypres in the First World War. The battle was fought near Ypres in Belgium, in the area from the Menin road to Polygon Wood and thence north, to the area beyond St Julien. Much of the woodland had been destroyed by the huge quantity of shellfire from both sides since 16 July and the area had changed hands several times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Passendale</span> Deelgemeente in West Flanders, Belgium

Passendale or Passchendaele is a rural Belgian village in the Zonnebeke municipality of West Flanders province. It is close to the town of Ypres, situated on the hill ridge separating the historical wetlands of the Yser and Leie valleys. It is also commonly known as a battlefield and the name of a campaign during World War I, the Battle of Passchendaele.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hooge Crater Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery</span> WWI CWGC cemetery in Ypres, Belgium

Hooge Crater Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial ground for the dead of the First World War located in the Ypres Salient in Belgium on the Western Front. Hooge Crater Cemetery is named after a mine crater blown nearby in 1915 and located near the centre of Hooge, opposite the "Hooge Crater Museum" and separated from it by the Menin Road. Hooge itself is a small village on the Bellewaerde Ridge, about 4 kilometres east of Ypres in the Flemish province of West Flanders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boezinge</span> Village in West Flanders, Belgium

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Battle of Passchendaele</span> Battle in World War I, 12 October 1917

The First Battle of Passchendaele took place on 12 October 1917 during the First World War, in the Ypres Salient in Belgium on the Western Front. The attack was part of the Third Battle of Ypres and was fought west of Passchendaele village. The British had planned to capture the ridges south and east of the city of Ypres as part of a strategy decided by the Allies at conferences in November 1916 and May 1917. Passchendaele lay on the last ridge east of Ypres, 5 mi (8.0 km) from the railway junction at Roulers, which was an important part of the supply system of the German 4th Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lone Tree Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery</span> WWI CWGC cemetery in Ypres, Belgium

Lone Tree Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) burial ground for the dead of the First World War located in the Ypres Salient on the Western Front in Belgium. It is located at Spanbroekmolen, on one of the highest points of the Messines Ridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spanbroekmolen British Cemetery</span> WWI CWGC cemetery in Ypres, Belgium

Spanbroekmolen British Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) burial ground for the dead of the First World War located in the Ypres Salient on the Western Front in Belgium. It is located at Spanbroekmolen, on one of the highest points of the Messines Ridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buttes New British Cemetery (New Zealand) Memorial</span> War memorial in Zonnebeke, Belgium

The Buttes New British Cemetery Memorial is a World War I memorial, located in Buttes New British Cemetery, near the town of Zonnebeke, Belgium. It commemorates 378 officers and men of the New Zealand Division who were killed in the vicinity and have no known grave.

The Vampire dugout, is a First World War underground shelter located near the Belgian village of Zonnebeke. It was created as a British brigade headquarters in early 1918 by the 171st Tunnelling Company of the Royal Engineers after the Third Battle of Ypres/Battle of Passchendaele.

<i>The Menin Road</i> (painting) 1919 painting by Paul Nash

The Menin Road is a large oil painting by Paul Nash completed in 1919 that depicts a First World War battlefield. Nash was commissioned by the British War Memorials Committee to paint a battlefield scene for the proposed national Hall of Remembrance. The painting is considered one of the most iconic images of the First World War and is held by the Imperial War Museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hooge in World War I</span>

In World War I, the area around Hooge on Bellewaerde Ridge, about 2.5 mi (4 km) east of Ypres in Flanders in Belgium, was one of the easternmost sectors of the Ypres Salient and was the site of much fighting between German and Allied forces.

References

  1. "Summary: memorial museum passchendaele 1917" . Retrieved 12 June 2015.