Kemmelberg (, ) is a hill formation in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. It is located less than a kilometer from the village of Kemmel, part of the municipality of

Heuvelland Heuvelland () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages of Dranouter, Kemmel, De Klijte, Loker, Nieuwkerke, Westouter, Wijtschate and Wulvergem. H ...

West Flanders ) , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of West Flanders.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van West-Vlaanderen.svg , shield_size = , image_map ...

History

The earliest settlements on the Kemmelberg date back 2.500 years, when Celtic tribes of the Hallstatt culture populated the area. The hill takes its name from

Camulos Camulus or Camulos is a Celtic deity who was identified with Mars via '' interpretatio romana''. Camulus was an important god of Roman Britain and Gaul, especially among the Belgae and the Remi, a Gaulish people living in the region that is ...

, the Celtic god of war. Kemmel2 (Berg)1918

During

World War I 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 ...

, it was the location of one of the war's most ferocious battles. Because of its strategic importance, it was fiercely fought in the Fourth Battle of Ypres. On 25 April 1918, German imperial forces, hoping to force a breakthrough to the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...

, started attacking the French troops on the Kemmelberg with gas grenades. At 6 a.m. the German Alpenkorps seized and captured the Kemmelberg, causing allied troops to withdraw from all the hills in the region. Thousands of French soldiers were slaughtered. Several streets and army barracks in Germany were named after this event (Kemmel-Privatweg in

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river. Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebu ...

, Kemmelkaserne in Murnau).

Friedrich Bertram Sixt von Armin Friedrich Bertram Sixt von Armin (27 November 1851 – 30 September 1936) was a German general who participated in the Franco-Prussian War and the First World War. In the latter he participated in many battles on the Western Front, including th ...

and

Prince Franz of Bavaria A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

were commanders, but Karl Höfer was celebrated as hero of Kemmelberg - the ''Held vom Kemmelberge''. It was recaptured during the Battle of the Peaks of Flanders in late September 1918, as a precursor to the

Armistice of 11 November 1918 The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

. Two war cemeteries are located to the northeast of the hill, the Kemmel Number 1 French Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery and the

Klein Vierstraat British Cemetery Klein Vierstraat British Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) burial ground for the dead of the First World War located in the Ypres Salient on the Western Front in Belgium. The cemetery grounds were assigned to the United Kingd ...

with the remains of

soldiers. At the top of the Kemmelberg there is a commemorative war memorial, the ''Monument aux soldats français'', constructed in 1932 and inaugurated by French general and war hero Lacappelle. The memorial column is 17 meter high and depicts the Roman victory goddess

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. In the area, the monument is colloquially called "The Angel". A

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

air defence command centre was based in an underground bunker on the southern edge of the hill in the 1950s. This now operates as a visitors centre.

Cycling

The steep cobbled roads over the hill frequently feature in cycling races, especially in the Flemish

spring classics The classic cycle races are the most prestigious one-day professional road cycling races in the international calendar. Some of these events date back to the 19th century. They are normally held at roughly the same time each year. The five most ...

. The climb is often a decisive location in

Gent–Wevelgem Gent–Wevelgem, officially Gent–Wevelgem – In Flanders Fields, is a road cycling race in Belgium, held annually since 1934. It is one of the classic races part of the Flemish Cycling Week, run in late March on the last Sunday before the To ...

, but is also regularly included in the Four Days of Dunkirk, the

Three Days of De Panne 3 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 3, three, or III may also refer to: * AD 3, the third year of the AD era * 3 BC, the third year before the AD era * March, the third month Books * '' Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 ...

, Three Days of West Flanders and the

Tour de l'Eurométropole Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...

. In 1950 the Kemmelberg was included in the route of the

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

, won by Belgian local and cycling icon Briek Schotte.

Gallery

File:ID201013-Heuvelland, Gedenkzuil 'Den Engel'-PM 50475.jpg, Monument for the French soldiers Image:Kemmel1 (Berg) 1918.jpeg, Kemmelberg after the fights of 1918 Image:Kemmel2 (Berg)1918.jpeg, Bodies on the Kemmelberg Image:Kemmelberg23.jpg, The hill's steep incline on its western ascent File:Kemmelberg distance.jpg, Kemmelberg today, with the Belvedere visible near its top

References

External links

Die Eroberung des Kemmel - Bericht des deutschen Hauptquartiers aus dem Jahre 1918

Fotos der Eroberung des Kemmelberges
{{Coord, 50, 46, 59.98, N, 2, 48, 59.92, E, display=title, type:mountain_region:BE-VWV Climbs in cycle racing in Belgium Mountains and hills of Flanders Heuvelland Landforms of West Flanders