The Kemmelberg (, ) is a hill formation in

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. It is located less than a kilometre from the village of Kemmel, part of the municipality of

Heuvelland Heuvelland () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages of Dranouter, Kemmel, De Klijte, Loker, Nieuwkerke, Westouter, Wijtschate and Wulvergem. Heuvelland is a thinly popul ...

in the province of

West Flanders West Flanders is the westernmost province of the Flemish Region, in Belgium. It is the only coastal Belgian province, facing the North Sea to the northwest. It has land borders with the Dutch province of Zeeland to the northeast, the Flemis ...

. The Kemmelberg is the highest point in the province with an altitude of , this is the geodetic point with mark Ch63.1, as measured by the National Geographical Institute (NGI) in Brussels in October 1951 via optical levelling.

History

The earliest settlements on the Kemmelberg date to 2,500 ago, when

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

tribes of the

Hallstatt culture The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Western Europe, Western and Central European archaeological culture of the Late Bronze Age Europe, Bronze Age (Hallstatt A, Hallstatt B) from the 12th to 8th centuries BC and Early Iron Age Europe (Hallst ...

populated the area. The hill takes its name from

Camulos Camulus or Camulos is a Celtic deity who was identified with Mars via ''interpretatio romana''. Camulus was an important god of Roman Britain and Gaul, especially among the Belgae and the Remi, Gaulish tribes that originate from the areas of ...

, the Celtic god of war. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, it was the location of one of the war's most ferocious battles, the

Fourth Battle of Ypres Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'', a 1972 Soviet drama ...

, because of its strategic importance. On 25April 1918, German imperial forces, hoping to force a breakthrough to the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

, started attacking the French troops on the Kemmelberg with gas grenades. At 6 a.m. the German Alpenkorps seized and captured the Kemmelberg, causing Allied troops to withdraw from all the hills in the region. Thousands of French soldiers were killed. Several streets and army barracks in Germany were named after this event (Kemmel-Privatweg in

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river. Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...

, Kemmelkaserne in Murnau).

Friedrich Sixt von Armin Friedrich Bertram Sixt von Armin (27 November 1851 – 30 September 1936) was a Prussian and German general who participated in the Franco-Prussian War and was a senior commander in the First World War. In the latter he participated in many battl ...

and

Prince Franz of Bavaria Prince Franz of Bavaria () (10 October 1875 – 25 January 1957) was a member of the Bavarian Royal House of Wittelsbach and a Major General in the Bavarian Army. Early life and military career Franz was born at Schloss Leutstetten, Starnb ...

were commanders, but

Karl Höfer Karl Höfer also Hoefer; (29 December 1862 in Pleß – 12 May 1939 in Würzburg) was a German Lieutenant general during World War I he became known as the ''Held vom Kemmelberge'' (hero of Kemmel hill) after his division had captured the ...

was celebrated as the hero of Kemmelberg — the ''Held vom Kemmelberge''. It was recaptured during the Battle of the Peaks of Flanders in late September 1918, as a precursor to the

Armistice of 11 November 1918 The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed in a railroad car, in the Compiègne Forest near the town of Compiègne, that ended fighting on land, at sea, and in the air in World War I between the Entente and their las ...

. Two war cemeteries are located to the northeast of the hill, the Kemmel Number 1 French Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery and the Klein Vierstraat British Cemetery with the remains of

soldiers. At the top of the Kemmelberg there is a commemorative war memorial, the ''Monument aux soldats français'', constructed in 1932 and inaugurated by French general and war hero Lacappelle. The memorial column is high and depicts the Roman victory goddess

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

. In the area, the monument is colloquially called "The Angel". A

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

air defence command centre was based in an underground bunker on the southern edge of the hill in the 1950s, which now operates as a visitors centre. Kemmel2 (Berg)1918.jpeg, Bodies on the Kemmelberg in April 1918 ID201013-Heuvelland, Gedenkzuil 'Den Engel'-PM 50475.jpg, alt=Monument for French soldiers, Monument for French soldiers

Cycling

The steep cobbled roads over the hill frequently feature in cycling races, especially in the Flemish

spring classics The classic cycle races are the most prestigious one-day professional road cycling races in the international calendar. Some of these events date back to the 19th century. They are normally held at roughly the same time each year. The five most ...

. The climb is often a decisive location in Gent-Wevelgem, but is also regularly included in the

Four Days of Dunkirk The Four Days of Dunkirk () is road bicycle race around the Nord-Pas de Calais region of northern France. Despite the name of the race, since the addition of an individual time trial in 1963, the race has been held over a 5 or 6 day period for ...

, the

Three Days of De Panne 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...

Three Days of West Flanders Dwars door West-Vlaanderen is a road bicycle race through the Belgian province of West Flanders. History The race was originally created unter the name Omloop der Vlaamse Ardennen (''English'': Tour of the Flemish Ardennes) in 1945 as a one-day ...

and the

Tour de l'Eurométropole The Circuit Franco-Belge is a single day cycling race held annually in Belgium and France. The race was previously known as the Tour de Wallonie-Picarde in 2011 and as the Tour de l'Eurométropole from 2012 to 2021. From 2005 to 2015 the Tour de ...

. In 1950, the Kemmelberg was included in the route of the

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

, won by Belgian local and cycling icon

Briek Schotte Alberic "Briek" Schotte (7 September 1919 – 4 April 2004) was a Belgium, Belgian professional road racing cyclist, one of the champions of the 1940s and 1950s. His stamina earned him the nickname "Iron Briek" (''IJzeren Briek''). He was World ...

References

External links

''Die Eroberung des Kemmel''
(in German)
Photos of the capture of the Kemmelberg in Flanders, 1918
{{Coord, 50, 46, 59.98, N, 2, 48, 59.92, E, display=title, type:mountain_region:BE-VWV Climbs in cycle racing in Belgium Mountains and hills of Flanders Heuvelland Landforms of West Flanders