Dodengang : remains of trenches network dig by the Belgian Army

WWI major historic and memorial site near Diksmuide, the Dodengang or Trench of Death, preserved section of former battlefield on the banks of Yser River

(Browse the collection : West Flanders Province time lapse and video stock footage)

The Western Front was a trench network covering thousands of kilometres, extending south from Nieuwpoort on the Belgian coast to the French border with Switzerland. Bitterly cold, waterlogged and thick with mud, the trenches offered soldiers precious little protection. In the countryside, 1.5km from the town of Diksmuide, a small section has been preserved. Known as the ‘Trench of Death’, conservation work ensures that this remains a unique example of battlefield life.

(Lonely Planet)

Located in Dixmude the ‘Trenches of Death’ comprise preserved trenches featuring galleries, shelters, firesteps, chicanes, concrete duckboards and concrete sandbags. Together they give a fair impression of the makeup of trenches during the First World War – that is, notably leaving aside the quiet, serene nature of the trenches as they appear today.The Dixmude trenches were in fact held by the Belgians for over four years during the Battles of the Yseragainst determined German forces (often ranged just 100 yards away), hence their grim name.

(First World War)

It remains a symbol of Belgian resistance, preserved for history buffs and the curious. When the Belgians flooded the river, at this bend outside of Diksmuide, “the flooding was at its limit and it was impossible to leave the area unguarded,” notes the book Traces of the Great War.

(Toronto Star)