Kemmelberg

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kemmelberg

The Kemmelberg , also known as the Kemmel for short , is an elevation near the town of Kemmel in the municipality of Heuvelland ( West Flanders Province ) in Belgium . The wooded mountain reaches a height of 159 m, making it the highest point in the province of West Flanders. It belongs to a chain of Flemish mountains. There is an early Gothic tower near the mountain top . On the western mountain slope an obelisk marks the site of a grave for French soldiers, on the summit itself there is a war memorial. The hill and its surroundings are today a scenic and popular destination. The up to 23% steep with cobblestone paved increase is a highlight of the cycling classic Gent-Wevelgem .

history

Kemmelberg after the fighting in 1918

The mountain gained special importance as a strategically important military point during the First World War . From this height the surrounding area could be militarily controlled by artillery and observers. During the Fourth Battle of Flanders this strongly fortified position was taken on April 25, 1918 by the Bavarian Leibregiment under Franz Ritter von Epp ( Alpine Corps ). The later names of streets in Germany (e.g. Kemmel-Privatweg in Magdeburg ) and barracks (e.g. the former Kemmel barracks in Murnau (built in 1935) - today the "Kemmelpark" industrial area) remind of this. A command bunker for the Belgian army was built on the Kemmelberg from 1952 to 1956 and has been open to the public since 2010.

Cycling

Passage of the Kemmelberg at the cycling classic Gent-Wevelgem 2010

The climb to the Kemmelberg, which has to be climbed twice, is a highlight of the Gent-Wevelgem one-day bike race. Together with the climb to the subsequent Monteberg , it often brings a preliminary decision to the race. With a gradient of up to 23%, the cobblestone path up to the top of the Kemmelberg is one of the most difficult climbs of the spring classics, especially when it rains .

In addition, the Kemmelberg is used for the Three Days of West Flanders and for the Four Days of Dunkirk .

Literature (selection)

  • Rik Opsommer : Kemmelbergweg, Langemarckstein, Becelaerekaserne, Ypresstraße en Flanders sports ground: onbekend, onbemind. Vlaamse propagandistische toponiemen in Duitsland na de eerste wereldoorlog (= Ieperse historical studies , 9), Ieper: Stadsarchief, 2003

Web links

Commons : Kemmelberg  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Mont Kemmel: in: Jean Ortlieb et Émile Chellonneix, Étude géologique des collines tertiaires du département du Nord comparées avec celles de la Belgique, Lille, Quarré, 1870, p. 148 [1]
  2. ^ The conquest of Kemmel - report from the German headquarters from 1918
  3. ↑ Photos of the conquest of the Kemmelberg
  4. ↑ Murnau: discussion about Kemmelpark: named after battlefield , merkur.de , March 20, 2014
  5. ↑ Martin Kaule: Fascination Bunker: Stone Evidence of European History, Ch. Links Verlag, 2017, p. 190 [2]

Coordinates: 50 ° 47 '  N , 2 ° 49'  E