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YPRES
: History |
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GENERAL Ypres (Home) History of Ypres Info on Belgium SIGHTSEEING The Great War The Cloth Hall The Menin Gate Other Monuments WW I Cemeteries Tyne Cot Cemetery Vladslo Cemetery In Flanders Fields
EXTERNAL LINKS
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13th century and the beginning of the 14th century saw the city at the height of its political and economic power. Cloth from Ypres was exported everywhere in the then known world (even to Novgorod in Russia !). Because the local wool production did not meet the demands of the market, Ypres turned to England as its prime wool supplier. During this period the guilds and cloth traders held the most important position in the city. After Ghent and Bruges, Ypres had become the third most important city in the county, with about 40.000 inhabitants. The 14th century was marked with a lot of political and social unrest and announced the end of Ypres' prosperity. An epidemic killed a large part of the population in 1316. After the battle at Kassel, many traders and business men left the city. Furthermore, in 1383 the English army (supported by the rival town of Ghent) destroyed the surroundings of Ypres. All of this led to a downfall of the cloth production and the entire economy of the city. During the religious troubles in
the 16th century the town was under an 8 month siege by the Duke of
Parma. When the siege ended, Ypres was plundered and many inhabitants
killed. In the 17th century Ypres was taken by the French. In order to
better defend
The town came again into the spotlights during the First World War. Ypres was situated right in the middle of the frontline between the Germans and the Allied troops. An almost complete destruction of the city was the result. After the war Ypres was beautifully rebuilt. |
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