Publisher Description

In 1914, Ypres was a sleepy Belgian city admired for its magnificent Gothic architecture. The arrival of the rival armies in October 1914 transformed it into a place known throughout the world, each of the combatants associating the place with it its own particular palette of values and imagery. It is now at the heart of First World War battlefield tourism, with much of it's economy devoted to serving the interests of visitors from across the world. The surroundingcountryside is dominated by memorials, cemeteries, and museums, many of which were erected in the 1920s and 1930s, but the number of which are being constantly added to as fascination with the regionincreases. Mark Connelly and Stefan Goebel explore the ways in which Ypres has been understood and interpreted by Britain and the Commonwealth, Belgium, France, and Germany, including the variants developed by the Nazis, looking at the ways in which different groups have struggled to impose their own narratives on the city and the region around it. They explore the city's growth as a tourist destination and examine the sometimes tricky relationship between local people andbattlefield visitors, on the spectrum between respectful pilgrims and tourists seeking shocks and thrills. The result of new and extensive archival research across a number of countries, this newvolume in the Great Battles series offers an innovative overview of the development of a critical site of Great War memory.

Author Biography

Mark Connelly is currently Principal Investigator of 'Gateways to the First World War', an Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded centre for public engagement with the Great War centenary. He is also convenor of the Masters Programme in First World War Studies at the University of Kent.Stefan Goebel specializes in the comparative cultural history of the Great War and in the urban history of modern conflict. He is director of the Centre for the History of War, Media, and Society at the University of Kent.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Ypres in HistoryPrologue: The Salient Facts1: Ypres before Ypres, 1900-19132: Ypres during Ypres, 1914-19183: The New Battle for Ypres, 1919-19274: The New Battles for Langemarck, 1928-19445: Ieper in Peace, 1944-2014Conclusion: Wipers at the CentenaryNotesBibliographyIndex

Review

... the book offers the first transnational interpretation of the meaning of Ypres and, by extension, the Western Front ... The book has been thoroughly researched from state archive material in six countries. * History of War *
An interesting and informative read ... if you want to find out more about Ypres the place and what it means to the belligerents, then read this book. * Chris May, Battlefield Magazine *
A deeply researched, absorbing and thoroughly readable book. * Matthew Haultain-Gill, Munitions of the Mind *

Long Description

In 1914, Ypres was a sleepy Belgian city admired for its magnificent Gothic architecture. The arrival of the rival armies in October 1914 transformed it into a place known throughout the world, each of the combatants associating the place with it its own particular palette of values and imagery. It is now at the heart of First World War battlefield tourism, with much of it's economy devoted to serving the interests of visitors from across the world. The surroundingcountryside is dominated by memorials, cemeteries, and museums, many of which were erected in the 1920s and 1930s, but the number of which are being constantly added to as fascination with the region increases. Mark Connelly and Stefan Goebel explore the ways in which Ypres has been understood and interpreted by Britain and the Commonwealth, Belgium, France, and Germany, including the variants developed by the Nazis, looking at the ways in which different groups have struggled to impose their own narratives on the city and the region around it. They explore the city's growth as a tourist destination and examine the sometimes tricky relationship between local people and battlefield visitors, on thespectrum between respectful pilgrims and tourists seeking shocks and thrills. The result of new and extensive archival research across a number of countries, this new volume in the Great Battles series offers an innovative overview of the development of a critical site of Great War memory.

Review Quote

"Ypres and its legacy include both the best and worst of human nature--courage, bravery, heroism, and sacrifice mixed with fear, hatred, savagery, destruction, and death."--Francis Sempa, The New York Journal of Books "The authors' analysis of battlefield tourism and its political implications among the former belligerents is particularly fascinating." --F. Krome, CHOICE

Feature

The Great Battles Series. The story of the world's most important battles -- how they were fought, how they have been commemorated, and the long historical shadows that they have cast.The story of Ypres -- the sleepy city which became the site of some of largest and most devastating battles of the Great War.Moves away from traditional British and Commonwealth rememberances of the battles to compare all combatant nations views on events and commemorations.How the region has been remembered, from the immediate aftermath to the present day -- and what this tells us.

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