Messines Ridge

Welcome to Messines Ridge, or 'Mesen' in the local Flemish. As a historian, standing on this ground is a humbling experience, for this was the site of one of the most meticulously planned and technologically advanced operations…

We begin at the New Zealand Memorial Park, a site dedicated to the 'Kiwis' of the New Zealand Division who played a pivotal role in capturing the village of Messines. The centerpiece of the park is a striking obelisk that…

To understand Messines, one must understand what was happening beneath your feet. Since 1915, General Herbert Plumer had overseen a massive tunneling program aimed at the German positions. …

A short walk from the village brings us to the Caterpillar Crater, one of the most visible results of the 1917 detonations. This crater was formed by the explosion of two mines (the Caterpillar and the Hill 60 mines) that were…

Further south along the ridge, we find the Kruisstraat craters, including the one now known as the 'Pool of Peace' (Spanbroekmolen). This is perhaps the most famous of the Messines craters, not just for its size, but for its…

In the center of the village stands the Messines Church, a structure that was completely pulverized during the war and meticulously rebuilt afterward. The church is a focal point of the community’s resilience, but its most…

A short walk from the village center brings us to the Island of Ireland Peace Park, one of the most significant sites of reconciliation on the Western Front. This park commemorates all the soldiers from the island of Ireland who…

As we stand on the crest of Messines Ridge, overlooking the peaceful Flemish countryside, it is hard to reconcile this beauty with the 'Great Blow' of 1917. We have walked over ground that was literally turned inside out, visited…