Sanctuary Wood (Hill 62), nr Ieper, Belgium

[flybager]

the amount of text in this comment section, is to damn high!

[raynus1]

Interesting. Three of my Great-Uncles were at this very spot on the morning of June 02, 1916. One still is.

[TheAF444]

Of course ur head is going to be stickin up they taken down part of it so the people could see across it and get a realy good experience of what the soldiers had to deal with

[UchihaMember23]

we went there today! and it was filled will leaves and water.. xD It was sooo dirty.. xD we were challenged to find the way out then we were like 2nd to the last cause we kept on getting inside the tunnel thingie then run around.. But we already knew the way out.. xD

[LillyElizaa]

I Went Here With My School , We Had A Good Time , In The Tenches , mud and tunnles, even though some of us was scared i had to hold my friends hand :)

[astrase2]

The owner Jacques or whatever spoils this site. He sits in his chair ordering his staff about. Heis a big, untidy lump. When I was there with my school trip, a guy was going round playing the pipes badly which added to the falseness which was felt.

[VideoHistoryToday]

It is a shame. But what can you do? I see so many negative comments about the site and yet so many schools keep going there. Its a gold mine for Jacques etc. The Bayernwald German trench system is very good. Bit difficult to find and then you have to visit the tourist office in Kemmel to buy tickets and get the gate code. More 'real' even thougth they have only rcently been restored.

[luxvonflux]

Trenches and bomb -raters are FAKE ! (dug out by Jacques Schier's grand-parents in the winter of 1955/56) . The whole Hill 62-Museum is a big (and expensive !) shame for the whole of Flanders Fields.

[hollandjasper]

I visited this place, Jack sits at the entrance in a big dirty vest almost dribbling as you hand him the cash. Several locals we spoke with were extremely pleasant and gave loads of suggestions of places we may go for authentic trench sites, but they were all unanimous that Hill 62 is not what it appears. The collection is filthy and unordered, quite a bit of '39-'45 items present also. The Yorkshire trench is not far.

[lethalalphabet]

the owner of hill 62, jack or jaq i think his name is, sold a live hand grenade to a child. it didnt go off. he was closed for 3 months

[JAYLiDDELL]

they wernt craters they were archealogical dig sites idiot

[simonluigi]

Hi

I did see your other films from the area.

Hill 62 is privately owned. And tourism means money. So they can't or won't do a lot about it.

The official museum in Ieper, Flanders Fields, is run by that tourist board.

There are a few smaller museums in the area which are privately owned. They're not very good compared to the non profit ones like Talbot House. But hey, why clean up the place it people keep visiting? It's a pity that the worst sites sometimes attracted the biggest crowds.

[simonluigi]

But still, nice interesting film about the place. Its just worrying me a bit that its advertised so much while some very good museums are not on you tube for instance.

Srr, that was quite a lot, you'll better read it in the opposite way :D

Always pleased to read your responce

[VideoHistoryToday]

Hi Simon

Guessed you were a local. I cannot disagree with you as I have no evidence that the place is 'real'. If the site is so fake shouldn't the Ieper tourist board do something about it? I had read about the owner and you are quite right that loads of tourists (especially British school groups) go there. I followed the crowd but as you can see from my other videos I did visit some less popular places. I tended to avoid museums on my trip as I wanted to film 'real' locations.

[VideoHistoryToday]

I did get to the German trenches at Bayenwald but visited before the site was officially opened (there is a short clip on my channel). That looks like a superb site. I got there about 6pm after the builders had gone and was 'found' by the owner wandering the dangerous incomplete works. Had a quick chat with him: he said the site had been vandalised a few times. Even half complete it looked more realistic them Sanctuary Wood.

[VideoHistoryToday]

The problem is all British school trips are programmed to visit Sanctuary Wood and I do not see it changing. Unfortunately it is the nearest thing to a 'real' experience most students get who visit Ieper and I have heard that many schools find it useful from an eduational point of view, fake or real. Overall I would recommend people to visit it but to know the background you mentioned. I add that a visit to Bayernwald is worthwhile to.

[simonluigi]

If you ask the owner any information about some artefacts, he simply says he hasnt got time, footballs on!!

But still, thanks to a lot of people who believe his story that all of it is real, he has 100 000 visitors a year.

If you want to see some real trenches, go to Bayernwald in Wijtschate. Its only 10 minute drive from there. Or Hill 60 if you want to see a real site. Thats even closer.

[simonluigi]

The owner is a very controversial man. He made a fortune out of it but he doesnt give a damn about the men who died there. Last year he sold an explosive device from back then to a 14-year old schoolkid. It was still armed!

The entrance fee is now 7 euros I think. You get to see a big dump full of old rusty things which used to be guns and a yard full of ditches. There no name tags and I guess the place was cleaned for the last time in 1919.

[simonluigi]

About the tunnels, there are still hundreds of them in the area, but a lot of locals and experts have there doubts about those. They don't look anything like the ones which were used during the war.

Ive met some people who, back then, gave him a hand rebuilding the site.

How else can you explain that there arent any trees growing on the paths? That doesnt look very genuine to me.

[simonluigi]

It's like you say, it's a trench site which has been rebuilt for tourists. There used to be a lot of trenches. This site was very important during the war. The museum is called Hill 62 but the actual Hill 62 is 2 miles to the south! Trust me, I live in the same area and Ive got an original trench map dated 1916.

Back in the fifties, the original trenches collapsed because of all the tourists. So Schier, the owner, simply dug some new ones with extra plates to prevent damage.

[simonluigi]

I hope you know that these trenches aren't the original ones! They were dug for the tourists on a spot where there was a lot of fighting. Trust me, they don't look very much like real trenches!

[VideoHistoryToday]

I am a real sceptic when it comes to these tourist sites but I do believe there were trenches here. It is clear the trench system extends beyond the rebuilt tourist area as I show about 3 minutes in. And can you explain the underground section at about 5 mins? I do not believe this was constructed after the war for tourists. This is a genuine trench site which has been rebuilt for tourists.

[kirkie1210]

WW1