Hooge, Ypres

Hooge is a small village on the Bellewaerde Ridge, about 4 kilometres east of Ypres in the Flemish province of West Flanders in Belgium.

In World War I, the village belonged to one of the easternmost sectors of the Ypres Salient, which made it the site of intense and sustained fighting between German and Allied forces.

[1] Even during times of relative quiet on this part of the Western Front, the average casualty rate for the British and Commonwealth forces was around 300 per day.

[4] On 30 July 1915, Hooge was the site of the first use of flamethrowers ("liquid fire" as it was referred to at the time), employed by the Germans against British positions.

The site is the result of Baron de Wynck, who landscaped three mine craters (blown by German units in June 1916 as part of their offensive against Canadian troops) into the existing pond near the hotel (image Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine).

View of Hooge from the south, with the military cemetery clearly visible
Map showing the location of Hooge directly east of Ypres , as well as the frontline of the Ypres Salient as it was in June 1916.
Entrance to Bellewaerde amusement park
Entrance to Hooge Crater Cemetery with Cross of Sacrifice and the stone-faced circle designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens in memory of the many craters nearby