Kemmelberg

It is located less than a kilometre from the village of Kemmel, part of the municipality of Heuvelland in the province of West Flanders.

[1] The earliest settlements on the Kemmelberg date to 2,500 ago, when Celtic tribes of the Hallstatt culture populated the area.

At 6 a.m. the German Alpenkorps seized and captured the Kemmelberg, causing Allied troops to withdraw from all the hills in the region.

[3] The steep cobbled roads over the hill frequently feature in cycling races, especially in the Flemish spring classics.

In 1950, the Kemmelberg was included in the route of the World Championship, won by Belgian local and cycling icon Briek Schotte.

The Kemmelberg, as seen from the west
1918 painting of the Kemmelberg by Richard Carline , depicting battles of World War I
The hill's steep incline on its western ascent
The hill's steep incline on its western ascent