The best walks and hikes around Koekelare

The Germans maintained a dressing station in the Praatbos. This is where the Vladslo Soldiers' Cemetery was established. After the First World War, it was expanded, and since 1957-1958 it has been a collective cemetery, like those in Langemark and Menen. Nearly 22,000 graves were transferred here from 61 Belgian locations. 25,638 German war dead rest beneath the oak trees. The endless rows of flat, gray gravestones in the lawn, and especially the "Mourning Parents" by German sculptor Käthe Kollwitz, make this one of the most poignant military cemeteries. No heroes here, no glory; only a telling silence, a silent indictment. On one of the plaques in front of the statue, the name Peter Kollwitz appears: the son of the "Mourning Parents."

Beautiful building to visit at the market and ideal as a stopover

Shortly after Käthe Kollwitz learned of the death of her 18-year-old son Peter, she planned a grave monument. It was initially intended to be a lying image of Peter with his parents. It was only when father Karl Kollwitz and mother Käthe Kollwitz-Schmidt visited their son's grave for the first time in 1926 at the Roggeveld cemetery that Käthe created "The Grieving Parents", which was placed in 1932. A maturing process of 18 years after Peter's death was necessary to process the mourning in a work of art. This memorial stone for her fallen son Peter became a monument for all the dead, of all nationalities, who fell victim to the war. But even more so, it shows the universal sorrow of all parents who lost a child in the violence of war. The images are very moving due to their simplicity and therefore testify to a high level of art. The father figure, Peter's own father, kneeling and with his head raised from his shoulders, looks down at the thousands of graves, including the grave of his son. His features, sunken cheeks and a grim expression on his mouth, betray his helplessness and horror of the war. He holds his arms tightly around his body. Peter is buried in front of the father figure. The mother figure, Käthe Kollwitz herself, kneeling and bent over, casts her eyes down. Her right hand presses her wide cloak close to her cheek. She crosses her arms over her chest, as if to suppress her sobs. The plaster design by Käthe Kollwitz was executed in granite by the German sculptors August Rhades (the father) and Fritz Diederich (the mother). Source: information board on site

The Christiaen brewery-malthouse originally dates from the 1790s. The Christiaen industrial complex got its current appearance around 1878. The malt tower and the slender chimney dominate the view of this brewery. Beer was brewed until 1968. The brewery was one of the largest employers in Koekelare.

This former brewery was once a beer paradise, but was transformed from an industrial building into cultural heritage with respect for the past: the former malt loft is now the Käthe Kollwitz Museum. The brewery's outbuildings (horse stables, hop cellar & storage space) are now home to the Fransmansmuseum and the distillery has been converted into the Yves Rhayé room, a tribute to the sculptor and painter. You will also find several works of art there, including those by Willem Vermandere.

Vladslo German war cemetery is about three kilometres north east of Vladslo, near Diksmuide, Belgium. Established during World War I, the cemetery originally held 3,233 wartime burials.[1] In 1956, burials from many smaller surrounding cemeteries were concentrated in Vladslo, and it now contains the remains of 25,644 soldiers.[1] Each stone bears the name of twenty soldiers, with just their name, rank, and date of death specified.

The German Soldiers' Cemetery (Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof) in Vladslo, Belgium, is a military cemetery. It contains the remains of 25,644 German soldiers who died in the First World War. The site has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2023 as part of the "Cemeteries and Memorial Sites of the First World War (Western Front)" registration. https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutscher_Soldatenfriedhof_Vladslo

Peter Kollwitz, the son of Käthe Kollwitz, was killed in Diksmuide in World War I and is buried in this military cemetery. The gravestone (communal grave) is located directly opposite the grieving parents.