Discover Wijtschate: crater landscape and history

Wijtschate combines a distinctive landscape with places of remembrance. The terrain is very undulating, ranging from 27 metres in the north to 85 metres in the village centre. Between Wijtschate and Mesen lies a ridge, whose highest point reaches 76 metres at the Spanbroekmolen Crater. These elevation figures describe different scales: the terrain of the village and the crater’s position on the ridge.

Landscape, Crater and Views

The Pool of Peace is the Spanbroekmolen Crater and is considered the largest and most impressive mine crater in the Westhoek. As a pond, it is 12 metres deep; its total diameter, including the rim, is 129 metres. A circular path offers views of the surrounding area. The measurements give the crater a tangible scale, while the path opens up views of the landscape.

De Kroonaard also offers views of distinctive landscape features: the Kemmelberg and the craters of Petit Bois. The recreation area includes picnic furniture. The land art installation Courbes des Émotions is also part of De Kroonaard. Here, viewpoints and designed art sit alongside the geological formations that shape the character of the area.

Trenches and Paths to the Craters

Bayernwald is a reconstructed section of a German trench system from the First World War in the Croonaertbos in Wijtschate. Bayernwald contains two German listening shafts. The site is accessible to wheelchair users. The reconstruction and listening shafts make Bayernwald a specific point of interest for travellers interested in the region’s military history.

The Kraters en Mijnenpad starts at the village information point by Sint-Medarduskerk in Wijtschate. Along the route are a brick-built German mine shaft in Kampagnebos, the craters at Petit Bois, Peckham Crater and the Pool of Peace, also known as the Spanbroekmolen Crater. The route thus links various named reminders of the mine and crater landscape. As route details can change, check the current route before your visit.

The Dietrich shaft in Kampagnebos in Wijtschate is one of the German listening shafts. You can reach it via the cart track to Kampagnebos; follow the forest path and it is about 100 metres along, on the left. This direction gives an approximate distance and leads you to a single named site.

Memorial Sites and Local History

The 58 dead from the United Kingdom are commemorated at Spanbroekmolen British Cemetery. The 88 dead from the United Kingdom are commemorated at Lone Tree Cemetery. Lone Tree Cemetery is near Lone Tree Crater, which is also called the Spanbroekmolen Crater. It is one of the 19 craters created during the infantry attacks in the Battle of Messines. On the first day of the Battle of Messines, 7 June 1917, 57 soldiers died.

The building history of Wijtschate can also be traced through two dates: Sint-Medarduskerk dates from 1927, and Wijtschate’s municipal hall from 1930. The church was built on a new church square farther north. The dated buildings and the relocation of the church square thus offer a different perspective on the village’s history alongside its wartime sites.

If you are looking for a hotel in Wijtschate, you can choose the focus of your trip around these themes: craters and viewpoints draw attention to the terrain and landscape; Bayernwald and the memorial sites to the First World War; and the church and municipal hall to local history.

Discover more destinations: Dranouter, Kemmel, Loker, Westouter, Nieuwkerke

For the wider travel overview: Heuvelland.