bkristof Posted 12 April , 2004 Share Posted 12 April , 2004 original item at: http://www.demorgen.be/archief/ search for business + westhoek + Flanders parts of the original + simple translation: Bart Biesbrouck 2004-04-05 Binnenland WW1 is more and more big business at the westhoek (Flanders) The trench of death is renewed WW1 became a Belgian matter. A little bit further, the Yzertower, gives you the impression only Flemish were killed. At Ypres they want to show how international the war was. It seems so that the cutting up of the war heritage will not end soon.. The westhoek (Salient) smelled tourist money. The area suffered heavy from the war,but now they earn big money. Then a discussion about nationalism Belgian vs. Flemish, not interesting for you blokes i think so I skipped that. It continues then: At the Yzertower and the Trench of death people try to tell the story of WW1 in terms of Flemish or Belgian, says P C, coördinator of the IFF. The Yzertower and the Trench O. D. are heritage who are very attached to the location, to the opposite IFF shows how international the war was. IFF has next to a public function also a scientific team and does collection gathering + preserving. It is the only WW1 museum in the Westhoek (flanders) that is reaching those standards, following the definition of a museum by the Flemish museum decreed (!!!not sure about the translation!!) The Westhoek is becoming "over museumalised", to C's opinion. At Zonnebeke, 8 km from Ypres, there will be in a few weeks a new visitors centre about the Battle at Passchendaele. In may it is the re-opening of the renovated Talbot house at Pops, dedicated to the live behind the front. Also at Langemark there will be a new centre. Al these initiatives tell eventually the same story. Behind this wild growth (according to C) is mostly a commercial reason. Tourists bring money in the pocket. . IFF gets 200000 visitors each year, The Yzertower 85000 - 90000, the trench o. d. 70000 In total each year 400000 visitors for WW1 , says C. The area suffered heavy from the war, but now they earn big money. According to the latest figures WW1 tourism caused a more spending of 8,73 million euro a year. There was a lot of investment in IFF and a lot of villages find they should have a part of that too. Like that there is a threatening of a over offer, and instead of clear visions and setting, often there is made a fog... You also can ask yourself when the visitor will be sick of hearing the same story over and over again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkristof Posted 12 April , 2004 Author Share Posted 12 April , 2004 As i live in Belgium i can not talk as a tourist. Is this article right??? what do you people think about it? My humble opinion: diversity is not bad but a luxuary! some people like computers, other like reall stuff, uniforms etc. is Iff the only scientific museum??? doing preservation of collectives??? i don't think so... if so it is very sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkristof Posted 12 April , 2004 Author Share Posted 12 April , 2004 THIS IS NOT TO START AN NEW TROUBLE OR AN ARGUING. It is a objective translation of an article!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salientpoints Posted 12 April , 2004 Share Posted 12 April , 2004 I'm sorry it doesn't make much sense as posted. Its too confusing to read. Can't you just post the english text in one piece and then we can all read it and make suggestions/comments? Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkristof Posted 12 April , 2004 Author Share Posted 12 April , 2004 Sorry ryan, indeed it is better in 1 text. I first did it like that so people could see i was not changing anything. i hope it is better now. Also sorry if the translation sounds sometimes funny due to a shortage of knowledge. i will not post the dutch text anymore as you can find him on the link i geve + you are all welcome to ask it at me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salientpoints Posted 13 April , 2004 Share Posted 13 April , 2004 Thanks Kristof. I too have had this translated now as follows: WW1, big business in the Westhoek, The Trench of Death in Dixmude has been renovated. It commemorates BELGIAN military history. Close by, in the Yser Tower, the same war is commemorated but one has the impression only FLEMISH boys were killed. (= politics, Belgium vs Flanders). Ypres shows how INTERNATIONAL that war was. There won’t come a quick ending to this fragmentation of war inheritance; there is money in tourism. The Trench of Death is the last remnant of the Belgian frontline of WW1; it was the most advanced position of the Belgian army, an island of sandbags between the river and the inundated plain. The distance between both Belgian and German lines was hardly a few tens of metres. A new visitors’ centre was opened some days ago. On the first floor a museum shows uniforms, helmets, weapons… Photographs, videos, maps tell the story of mobilisation, trench warfare, the miserable conditions in the trenches. From the upper floor one has an overview of the trench itself. The Ministry of Defence manages the site. The BELGIAN national flag flies. A few kilometres away along the same river, not a single tricolour in view. The FLEMISH flag (black lion, yellow background) flies there. In the Yser Tower the history told is only an episode in WW1: the Flemish fight for emancipation. The term “Belgian” has a bad meaning here. The Yser Tower tells the story of the war in Flemish terms while the Trench of Death does so in Belgian terms. For both, the position where they are, is important. Ypres on the contrary, has a scientific team and it is the only WW1 museum in the Westhoek that complies with the official Flemish museum decree. There is an evolution towards too many museum in the region (that’s what they say in Ypres!!!); Zonnebeke, Poperinge and (coming soon) Langemark. Proliferation mainly for commercial reasons. When will the visitor become tired of hearing the same story time and time again ? - I do not see any problem with this. Whether or not a museum, town or region is targeting their efforts at the Flemish or Belgian national cause is down to how they perceive the attraction and what niche market they are selling to. If they simply all followed the same rules then indeed it is possible they could all be the same. I have a local museum that tells the story of many wars (I guess largely ww1) but from the point of view of the Royal Sussex Regiment. - Personally I would not tire of musuems in the region, there is already so much to do, adding more is fine by me and I do not mind paying to see them. In fact just last week we went to see the Alms House in Ieper and the lady asked if we had been to IFF which I said yes and she said 'oh you can come in for free'. I explained this was some time ago and we did not have our tickets to gain entry into the Alms House so I really did not mind paying 2 euros each to enter this museum. If the money is on offer from us tourists please take it to preserve your heritage(s). Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkristof Posted 13 April , 2004 Author Share Posted 13 April , 2004 thx ryan for the corrections, help. my opinion IFF is the one who wants a claim on all tourists, that is the only problem. I like the different ways musea show their story of WW1. I am just wondering if the tourist, that you can find hers i think, think like me or like IFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 13 April , 2004 Share Posted 13 April , 2004 It's about money: the curator of IFF wants it all -he has a monopoly on WW1 issues in Flanders Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joris Ryckeboer Posted 13 April , 2004 Share Posted 13 April , 2004 Hello! Only the sun rise for nothing! But... my points of view about the big business; There will never been enough museums, books, reenactmentsgroups, etc., all with there own point of view, to show us what really happend during WWI. In fact they can't! But they can try. Battles, military leaders, arms, uniforms, etc. are facts. There are just a few veterans left. They know the truth! I remember a veteran, while telling his story, said every ten words; "Can you imagine?"... A museum has to tell the visitor a story. Details are for the historians. They have the task to preserve the whole story correctly for the future generations. Pure, without personal touch. So, a museum has to tell a story. How , I don't care. When the story/message, reach the visitor, it's a good museum. Every museum is different because of there personal touch or point of view. And when people stay away from your museum, you failed! I am really happy Bayernwald will be open this weekend! It will show us for the first time the German side of the war, but the story/message will be the same, don't you think? Greetings Joris (Westouter-Flanders) Sorry, once again for my language! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkristof Posted 13 April , 2004 Author Share Posted 13 April , 2004 Are the Brittons scared to say their opinion? or are they sleeping? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salientpoints Posted 13 April , 2004 Share Posted 13 April , 2004 Already put my two-penneth in! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkristof Posted 13 April , 2004 Author Share Posted 13 April , 2004 yup, but what with the rest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salientpoints Posted 13 April , 2004 Share Posted 13 April , 2004 Does it matter? I think you will find we will all visit all the museums and as much of everything as we can all possibly do! You are preaching to the choir as it were. I don't think you will get anyone boycotting or getting irrate about a museum due to its stance or niche area. This is like saying is the IWM North better than the IWM London or is Flixton Museum better than Tangmere? They all have their place and their own story to tell. All curators have their own way of selling 'their baby' as it were. Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkristof Posted 13 April , 2004 Author Share Posted 13 April , 2004 Ryan, you completely miss understood. I just want a "tourist" opinion. I don't want anyone to boycot any museum... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salientpoints Posted 13 April , 2004 Share Posted 13 April , 2004 No, I haven't misunderstood. It is quite clearly a personal issue, especially within the Western Front. There are quite obviously some strong feelings in my view almost leading to potential boycotting of museums on home territory? I have given my UK tourist opinion, I have no issues with either museums or the way they are selling to tourists. I don't want to get into this too much as there was already many threads on tourism on the battlefields. Cheers Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkristof Posted 13 April , 2004 Author Share Posted 13 April , 2004 If you mean the article is like that, then you're right i think. But I am of the same oppinion like you. I just found it important and i told it to a British chap. He asked to place it on the forum so he could read it. My vision: More museums, mean more choise, more views, a luxery... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iain mchenry Posted 17 April , 2004 Share Posted 17 April , 2004 Hi Kristoff, After reading your the article you translated I would disagree that the Salient has too many museums. I tend to stay away from IFF, I dont like it. Hooge Crater and the small museum at Messines are my personal favourites along with the collection of photos at Hill 62. When Mr C stated that the IFF have the only "Research Team" as such, I find this quite wrong. The three groups that operate around the salient all do their own research, which will end up in museums. As well as that the individual does their own research much of which ends up published....Battleground Europe.....Salient Points....Guide books etc, etc. Regards Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salientpoints Posted 17 April , 2004 Share Posted 17 April , 2004 Hi Iain, Just to say I did nip into the Ramparts Museum after we saw you and boy was I mighty impressed! The 'diaramas' or whatever they should be called are superb. I would put these efforts from an individual private museum on par with 'The Trench' exhibition at the Imperial War Museum in London. Absolutely first class! Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iain mchenry Posted 20 April , 2004 Share Posted 20 April , 2004 Hi Ryan, Sorry it has taken a few days to reply, I agree, and would add the ramparts museum onto my list. Although it is not a huge museum, it is very well laid out. It is certainly worth a visit, especially if you are visiting the bar and waiting for food to arrive. Best regards Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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