Who would guess this tranquil pool holds a thunderous secret? This, my friends, is the Spanbroekmolenkrater, also known as the Pool of Peace. Before it was a serene reflection of the sky, it was the site of Spanbroekmolen, a windmill that stood for three centuries. Sadly, it met its end in 1914, destroyed by German forces. During World War I, Spanbroekmolen and the Messines Ridge became a battleground. The Germans fortified the strategically important location. They even launched gas attacks from here on Wulverghem in 1916. The British, understanding Spanbroekmolen’s significance, planned a daring counter-offensive: the Battle of Messines. Tunneling companies of the Royal Engineers secretly dug under the German lines, creating a network of mines, including one directly beneath Spanbroekmolen. The Spanbroekmolen mine held 41,000 kilograms of ammonal, a massive amount of explosive. This was the largest mine laid by the British up to that point in the war. On June 7, 1917, at 3:10 a.m., the mines along the Messines Ridge were detonated. The Spanbroekmolen mine, however, exploded 15 seconds late. Some British soldiers, already advancing across no-man’s land, were tragically caught in the blast. The explosion created this very crater, a massive scar 76 meters in diameter and 12 meters deep. In the aftermath, Spanbroekmolenkrater became a symbol of both destruction and resilience. Acquired by the Toc H foundation in 1929, it was transformed from a crater of war into a Pool of Peace. This serene spot now serves as a reminder of the conflict’s devastating power and the enduring hope for peace.
Центральный дом работников искусств
Step through the grand wooden doors of the Central House of the Workers of Art, and you’ll be transported to