Not-so-quiet on the Western Front: 139 grave and memorial sites from the First World War in Belgium and France were added to UNESCO's World Heritage list on Wednesday, the UN organisation announced.
The nomination of these sites for the World Heritage List had been submitted by Belgium and France to UNESCO's World Heritage Committee, with the decision having been taken at the annual session of the World Heritage Committee in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
"This decision honours the memory of those who fell during the First World War fighting for peace and freedom. Their legacy lives on," Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said in response to the announcement.
The newly recognised sites are located between the north of Belgium and the east of France and are made up of memorials and a number of cemeteries with the remains of tens of thousands of soldiers of several nationalities.
The British Tyne Cot cemetery, where you can see the graves of 12,000 soldiers, victims of the First World War (1914-1918), in Passchendaele (Zonnebeke). Credit: Belga / Herwig Vergult
These sites formed what is referred to as the Western Front, where Allied armies fought against the German invasion between 1914 and 1918. Millions of soldiers lost their lives.
"The inscription acknowledges the significance of memory, reconciliation and promotion of peace, core values. This prestigious recognition is the result of over two decades of cooperation between Belgium and France," a Belgian Foreign Ministry statement read.
Out of the listed memorial sites, 16 are in Wallonia, 27 in Flanders and 96 in France. In Wallonia, they include the chapel of the Belle-Motte cemetery in Aiseau-Presles and the church of Comines (both in the province of Hainaut), as well as the Liège Cathedral.
Most of Belgium was under occupation from the beginning of the war, except for a small slither around Ypres, where the symbolic Menin Gate was later built in commemoration. Now, this memorial is one of the sites listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Every year, a remembrance ceremony is held there on 11 November.
Credit: Belga / Herwig Vergult
The sites were carefully selected to pay tribute to the victims of the Great War. "They are powerful symbols of reconciliation and equality, and honour every allied or enemy soldier, regardless of geographical or social origin," stated the Walloon and Flemish Regions in a press release.
UNESCO previously rejected Belgium and France's request in 2018, citing a "lack of clarity" and a vision which was "too narrow and limited." Wednesday's recognition crowns 20 years of work and collaboration between the Walloon, Flemish and French administrations and the site managers.
Royal British Legion committee member in Brussels, Dennis Abbott, commented: "By putting the spotlight on First World War cemeteries and memorials in Belgium and France – something it probably should have already done a long time ago – UNESCO is providing a vivid reminder for today's generation that wars are more about death than glory."
British troops pass through the devastated town of Ypres, West Flanders, Belgium on September 29, 1918.
