Messines Ridge
Messines Ridge
4.5
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
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4.5
18 reviews
Excellent
11
Very good
7
Average
0
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Patricia G
Worcester, UK1,196 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
The day we visited Messines Ridge there was a howling gale and intermittent pouring rain. Not good for sightseeing, you might think? On the contrary, it provided an authentic firsthand taste of what it must have been like for soldiers, fighting and trying to survive in the quagmire battlefields around Ypres. This is an important site and there is still plenty of evidence of the terrific series of mine explosions which blew vast craters across the countryside. So powerful were they that the tremors were felt as far away as London. As you survey the sweep of the land around here, it is not hard to imagine the opposing forces ranged against each other, laying waste to the landscape with a rain of shells
Written 24 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NomadicKiwi1
North Shore, New Zealand176 contributions
Dec 2018 • Couples
My partner and I visited Messines (Mesen) because of its connection to New Zealand from when the NZ Troops took back the city during WW1. As a New Zealander I felt it was important to pay my respects here. In the main square there is a New Zealand Soldier Statue and a Christmas Truce Statue. There is also a fascinating Free Information Centre / Museum with photos and videos of WW1 Soldiers in the area at the time and a collection of personal artefacts from a Kiwi Soldier (There is a Public Toilet located next to the Museum which was appreciated as it was difficult to find these in the area on a journey around the WW1 sites)
The Church of Saint Nicolas is worth a visit (although the crypt where Hitler was treated during the war has a very uneasy feel to it) There is also a memorial outside honouring the connection between Belgium and New Zealand and information about a Kiwi Soldier awarded a VC. We then travelled down 'New Zealand Street' to the NZ Memorial which (appropriately) had ferns and native Toetoe growing around it. There was also a detailed map outlining how the Kiwis took back the city and two German pillboxes still standing.
Our last stop was Messine Ridge (NZ Memorial) and Cemetery up on the Hill which has a NZ Memorial to the Missing and many soldiers from the different countries buried side by side. This also provides a good viewpoint of the Messines Ridge Area so you can see the challenge the Men faced. As we left the Cemetery it started to snow, which felt very poignant and appropriate. I would highly recommend a visit to Messines to all New Zealanders - the personal connection to our country and the respect still shown to the Kiwis here is a very moving thing to behold. Lest We Forget.
The Church of Saint Nicolas is worth a visit (although the crypt where Hitler was treated during the war has a very uneasy feel to it) There is also a memorial outside honouring the connection between Belgium and New Zealand and information about a Kiwi Soldier awarded a VC. We then travelled down 'New Zealand Street' to the NZ Memorial which (appropriately) had ferns and native Toetoe growing around it. There was also a detailed map outlining how the Kiwis took back the city and two German pillboxes still standing.
Our last stop was Messine Ridge (NZ Memorial) and Cemetery up on the Hill which has a NZ Memorial to the Missing and many soldiers from the different countries buried side by side. This also provides a good viewpoint of the Messines Ridge Area so you can see the challenge the Men faced. As we left the Cemetery it started to snow, which felt very poignant and appropriate. I would highly recommend a visit to Messines to all New Zealanders - the personal connection to our country and the respect still shown to the Kiwis here is a very moving thing to behold. Lest We Forget.
Written 5 January 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Phil C
Napier, New Zealand7 contributions
Nov 2018 • Solo
I stayed three nights here and walked in every direction right through to Ploegsteert and back via the site of Christmas truce.
Written 6 November 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paul P
Norton Canes, UK142 contributions
Oct 2017
Visited the peace park (Irish tower) there are some very emotive and humbling words recorded. The view here gives you a real sense of just how a few extra meters in height opens up the defensive positions. The nearby cemetery is also worth visiting as is the small town square of Messiness. There are not many places to take a refreshment break so plan ahead.
Written 26 October 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Linda R
Salisbury, UK631 contributions
May 2017 • Couples
We discovered this by mistake and was delighted to find a toilet alongside. This is supposed to be the smallest town in Belgium, so we were really impressed that they had this museum open to all.
There are many interesting items on display and it is well worth 30-45 minutes of your time.
You can see a watercolour by Hitler. And right near is a Bruce Bairnsfather sketch on the back of a Rodenbach beer sign alongside a Pat Hanna sketch a New Zealander.
It is open from 8.30 -17.30 each day.
Outside is a newly erected statue to commemorate the Christmas Truce which took place near here.
The church of St Nicholas nearby is well worth a visit, as it is full of history, including the fact that Corporal Hitler was treated there in WW1.
There are many interesting items on display and it is well worth 30-45 minutes of your time.
You can see a watercolour by Hitler. And right near is a Bruce Bairnsfather sketch on the back of a Rodenbach beer sign alongside a Pat Hanna sketch a New Zealander.
It is open from 8.30 -17.30 each day.
Outside is a newly erected statue to commemorate the Christmas Truce which took place near here.
The church of St Nicholas nearby is well worth a visit, as it is full of history, including the fact that Corporal Hitler was treated there in WW1.
Written 29 May 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AJJP1
Appleby-in-Westmorland, UK1,645 contributions
May 2019 • Solo
Hard to imagine that nothing remained. The sheer brutality. The destruction. Their pain on both sides.
Written 7 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nicholas H
London, UK20,388 contributions
May 2018 • Friends
We visited this small but really interesting museum as part of a three day Battlefields tour. The main feature is a display of two sets of photographs, showing the town before and then after WW1. There's also a great Old Bill cartoon drawn by the character's creator, Bruce Bairnsfather on the back of an advertising hoarding. Very well worth visiting this.
Written 23 May 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jsteelem
Belfast, UK595 contributions
Jul 2017 • Friends
Situated in West Flanders picturesque Mesen is a great little place to spend a few hours visiting not only the center but also the nearby attractions.
Behind the Christmas Truce sculpture in the square is a free museum,small but informative,a play park for the children and an impressive statue to the New Zealand Soldier.
Visit St Nicholas Church where a young Hitler was treated after being wounded at the Somme,if only??.
Also take time to visit the Island of Ireland Peace Park, a memorial to commemorate the 70,000 Irish casualties during WW1.
Behind the Christmas Truce sculpture in the square is a free museum,small but informative,a play park for the children and an impressive statue to the New Zealand Soldier.
Visit St Nicholas Church where a young Hitler was treated after being wounded at the Somme,if only??.
Also take time to visit the Island of Ireland Peace Park, a memorial to commemorate the 70,000 Irish casualties during WW1.
Written 27 July 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John C
Erskine, UK219 contributions
Jul 2017 • Friends
Stopped in this charming little town that is steeped in WW1 history. On a wonderful sunny Belgian day its hard to believe the devastation that once took place here. We visited the free museum which, although small, has useful information for visitors so it is worth a look. There is a memorial to the New Zealand soldiers who fell defending the ridge and is a fitting tribute to them. There is a nice cafe nearby should you wish to have a cold drink.
Written 26 July 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wendy H
Gosport, UK1,356 contributions
Aug 2016 • Couples
We stopped here at the Messines centre on a WW1 Leger walking tour. I can't find any reviews so I am hoping this is correct. Only a small centre but has lots of info & toilets! Not always easy to find when you are out & about.
Outside there are flags flying and close by is a monument to the New Zealand forces.
Outside there are flags flying and close by is a monument to the New Zealand forces.
Written 28 August 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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