20141111 King Albert I Monument in Nieuwpoort 06

The King Albert I Memorial, also named the King Albert I Monument ( nl, Koning Albert I-monument; french: Monument au Roi Albert Ier) is a

memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or works of a ...

at the

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

coastal city of Nieuwpoort. It is located right outside the old town, on the right bank of the

Yser river The Yser ( , ; nl, IJzer ) is a river that rises in French Flanders (the north of France), enters the Belgian province of West Flanders and flows through the ''Ganzepoot'' and into the North Sea at the town of Nieuwpoort. The source of the Yse ...

at the lock complex ''

Ganzepoot The Ganzepoot (Dutch for ''goose foot'') is a series of locks and spillways in the inner port of Nieuwpoort, Belgium which connect one river, three water channels and two canals with the mouth of the Yser River and the maritime port. The spillway ...

''. The monument was erected in

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

after a design of Julien de Ridder and honours both

King Albert I of Belgium Albert I (8 April 1875 – 17 February 1934) was King of the Belgians from 23 December 1909 until his death in 1934. Born in Brussels as the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders and Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Si ...

and the Belgian troops at the time of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Description

The circular monument is 25 metres tall and is 30 metres in diameter. It has ten columns, built out of bricks from the Yser plain. A prominent circular beam caps the structure. On this beam, there is a walkway with orientation tables. On the central square of the monument, there is an equestrian statue of King Albert I, designed by Karel Aubroeck.

Inauguration

The building was inaugurated on 24 July 1938 in the presence of King Albert of Belgium's son

King Leopold III Leopold III (3 November 1901 – 25 September 1983) was King of the Belgians from 23 February 1934 until his abdication on 16 July 1951. At the outbreak of World War II, Leopold tried to maintain Belgian neutrality, but after the German invasi ...

Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of Belgium Elisabeth of Bavaria (Elisabeth Gabriele Valérie Marie; 25 July 187623 November 1965) was Queen of the Belgians from 23 December 1909 to 17 February 1934 as the spouse of King Albert I, and a duchess in Bavaria by birth. She was the mother o ...

, Prince

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

, Prince Baudouin, and Princess Josephine-Charlotte of Belgium. The whole complex is protected since 1999 as a monument.

Nieuport Memorial

A monument for the British troops, the

Nieuport Memorial The British Nieuport Memorial is a First World War memorial, located in the Belgian port city of Nieuwpoort (french: link=no, Nieuport), which is at the mouth of the River Yser. The memorial lists 547 names of British officers and men with no k ...

, was erected on the square in front of the Albert Memorial. It consists of a commemorative column and commemorates the names of 566 British officers and soldiers who died during the battles at the

Belgian coast Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German * Ancient Belgian language, an extinct langua ...

during the First World War, particularly in 1917.

Westfront Nieuwpoort

The memorial was restored and expanded, before the reopening and renaming on 18 October 2014. The renewed ''Westfront Nieuwpoort'' was visited by heads of state and government on 28 October, including Belgian King Philippe and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

Angela Merkel Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German former politician and scientist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. A member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), she previously served as Leader of the Oppo ...

. The visitors' centre was designed by the

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

architects' workshop (''Antwerps Architecten Atelier''). A permanent exhibition illustrates the inundation of the Yser plain in 1914 by opening the sluices at the

. The monumental

panoramic painting Panoramic paintings are massive artworks that reveal a wide, all-encompassing view of a particular subject, often a landscape, military battle, or historical event. They became especially popular in the 19th century in Europe and the United St ...

"Panorama of the

Battle of the Yser The Battle of the Yser (french: Bataille de l'Yser, nl, Slag om de IJzer) was a battle of the First World War that took place in October 1914 between the towns of Nieuwpoort and Diksmuide, along a stretch of the Yser River and the Yperlee C ...

in October 1914" by

Alfred Bastien Alfred Théodore Joseph Bastien (16 September 1873, in Ixelles – 7 June 1955, in Uccle) was a Belgian artist, academic, and soldier. He attended the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Ghent, where he studied with Jean Delvin. He then enrol ...

is shown in a downsized, digitised format. The original dimensions are 115 metres by 14 metres.IJzerpanorama
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References

{{reflist

External links

Description of the building on the website of the Flemish inventory of immovable heritage

Information about the monument on a tourist website about the Great War in the Westhoek

Information about the Westfront Nieuwpoort visitors' centre on the official tourism website of Nieuwpoort
World War I memorials in Belgium Buildings and structures completed in 1938