German WW I tourism in Flanders -- WORLD WAR I IN FLANDERS

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Subject: German WW I tourism in Flanders

Author:
Johan Ryheul

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Date Posted: 14:17:56 09/19/02 Thu

Hi,

I will be going slightly of topic with this subject, but I wanted it to be discussed on a place where this was read by the public it was meant for.

It looks as the provincial government of West Flanders is looking for reasons why it's loosing the fight on it's WW I tourism with German tourists.

It even seems to be the case that almost no tourist pay visits to the places they are expected to go. Let's put things on a row :

The German military graveyards attrackt busses from Germany but nothing like the visits from the UK, the number is much lower ! Reasons ?

The provincial open air museum of the German WW I Battery Aachen at Raversijde and the WW II battery Saltzwedel Neu, don't get much German visitors also ? Reason ? Some say it is not known in Germany, the story of the first Atlantik Wall is not known and that this is the failure. Other's say it is to static. Is there any truth in this ?

In Flanders Fields museum doesn't get a lot of German visitor's neither. Reasons ? Some say it remains to British (and that it's even un-Belgian) and is just one big expensive show. Can this be it or is this incorrect ?

There are lot's of British memorials in Flanders, there are none for the Germans. Correct ? Could this also be a reason ? Hasn't anyone ever heard of the two German monuments at Zande ?

For what it is worth there are certainly enough other German remainders of WW I. Let's think of all the numerous pill boxes at the front and the Flandern II Stellung, the ones at the Holland Stellung (border with Holland) the sites of the aerodromes, the enormous 38 cm guns emplacements of Koekelare and Klerken.

Could it just be a lack of information given by the Flemish Government to German WW I tourists ?

I ask these questions because I got involved in a really very serious discussion on the matter with a number of people of the provincial government and even on a higher level.

I really would appreciate any reactions, even to my private e-mail.

Thanks and best from Johan

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Replies:

Subject	Author	Date
Re: German WW I tourism in Flanders	Joe McCarthy	06:07:53 09/20/02 Fri
Re: German WW I tourism in Flanders -- Johan Ryheul, 16:10:12 09/23/02 Mon Re: German WW I tourism in Flanders -- Joeseph McCarthy, 06:16:12 09/24/02 Tue