Flanders countryside south of Ypres, landscape of hill region (Heuvelland) with view on Messines (Mesen) church
(Browse the collection : West Flanders Province time lapse and video stock footage)
Have you ever heard of Mesen? No? What about its French name: Messines? That might sound more familiar, thanks to the well-known Battle of Messines during the First World War. For those of you who might be looking for a day out or a nice staycation in Belgium, I can warmly recommend Mesen. You will have to travel all the way to a remote but beautiful corner of the Westhoek. But once there, you will end up in the smallest town in Belgium. The Great War had horrific episodes here. Crushed against the Heuvelland hills and a piece of Wallonia, you get lost in the beauty of mother nature.
The church, with its domed tower, can be seen from miles away. The building was restored to its pre-war state in 1928. This church originally served as an abbey church for the convent of Saint Benedict and was erected by countess Adela of France.
During the early stages of the war, the village of Messines was reduced to ruins by shell fire. Situated on the Messines Ridge, it was a position of considerable strategical importance to the Germans, from whom it was captured in the allied attack of 6-7 June 1917, in which the 3rd and 4th Australian Divisions played a prominent role.
File names, codec and sizes | ||
mesen02_fhd | mesen02_5K+ | mesen02_web |
Mov ProRes 422 HQ | Mov ProRes 422 HQ | H264 Mp4 |
184 Mo | 1,47 Go | 10,5 Mo |