Text and images are owned, held, or licensed by Springfield College and are available for personal, non-commercial, and educational use, provided that ownership is properly cited. A credit line is required and should read: Courtesy of Springfield College, Babson Library, Archives and Special Collections. Any commercial use without written permission from Springfield College is strictly prohibited. Other individuals or entities other than, and in addition to, Springfield College may also own copyrights and other propriety rights. The publishing, exhibiting, or broadcasting party assumes all responsibility for clearing reproduction rights and for any infringement of United States copyright law.
Contact host institution for more information.
Publisher:
Springfield College
Notes:
The Cloth Hall was one of the largest commercial buildings during the Middle Ages, when it served as the main market and warehouse for the Flemish city's prosperous cloth industry. The original structure, erected in the 13th century and completed in 1304, lay in ruins after artillery fire devastated Ypres in World War I. Aside from a brief period in October 1914, Ypres never fell into German hands. It did, however, suffer a heavy toll during its defense, where some 250,000 allied soldiers died. Between 1933 and 1967, the hall was meticulously reconstructed to its prewar condition, under the guidance of architects J. Coomans and P.A. Pauwels. At 125 meters in breadth, with a 70-meter-high belfry tower, the Cloth Hall recalls the importance and wealth of the medieval trade city. The Cloth Hall used to be accessible by boat via the Ieperlee waterway. The spacious ground-floor halls where wool and cloth were once sold are now used for exhibitions; the second floor, formerly a warehouse, now hosts the In Flanders Fields Museum, dedicated to the history of World War I.
Text on border reads, "Australian Y.M.C.A. Historical Record Section; The Cloth Hall, Ypres, 1917."
Part of the Australian Y.M.C.A. WWI Lantern Slide Series
