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War Memorial

War Memorial

Highlight • Monument

War Memorial

Name: War Memorial
Rating: 2

Recommended by 18 hikers

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Location: Aarschot, Leuven, Flemish Brabant, Flanders, Belgium

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Best Hikes to War Memorial

5.0

(14)

280

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1. Church view – View of the church loop from Aarschot

6.12km

01:33

10m

Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Easy

4.7

(28)

214

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2. Aarschot Beguinage – View of the church loop from Aarschot

24.1km

06:10

80m

Hard hike. Very good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Hard

4.2

(5)

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3. Beautiful view over Aarschot – Path Along the Motte loop from Aarschot

10.9km

02:50

80m

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Moderate

Tips

Viviane

August 23, 2022

At the center of the monument is the almost schematically elaborated figure of a soldier, in a pose that is both protective and almost defiantly heroic. Behind him towers the obelisk, symbol of steadfastness and virtue, topped by the glorious coat of arms of Aarschot. At the soldier's feet lies that same shield, broken, symbol of destruction. We recognize the battlefield in the remains of a cannon barrel and a horse. In his right hand he holds the Belgian flag, crowned by a lion and inscribed with the inscription 'S.P.Q.B.', an acronym for Senatus Populusque Belgicus and a not so subtle reference of brave Belgium to the greatness of the Roman Empire. At the soldier's feet lies a silver palm with a clear number 9. This refers to the heroic defense of the 9th Line Regiment north of Aarschot to secure the withdrawal of the Belgian troops to the fortress of Antwerp.

The names of the murdered civilians and the fallen soldiers were immortalized on the wall behind the statue. The names of the victims of the Second World War were usually added to the monuments of the First World War. This happened here on the obelisk, disrupting its original monolithic character. The unveiling of the names of the victims of the Second World War happened on the national holiday of 1946.

Translated by Google •

Willem VS

December 5, 2022

On January 31, 1920, the city council decided to demolish the adjacent town hall, which had been burnt down by the German troops in the First World War, and at the same time to restore "the old Spanish Sint-Rochustoren". A war memorial was also erected there in honor of the fallen soldiers and murdered civilians.
nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sint-Rochustoren

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October 17, 2024

In 1920, the Aarschot city council decided to erect a monument in honour of the fallen soldiers and murdered civilians. In November 1920, a special study committee was set up. This committee appointed Victor Creten as architect, who would work together with sculptor Pieter Braecke.

Aarschot suffered greatly during the war. After the German invasion on 4 August 1914 and the fall of Liège, the Belgian army decided to withdraw to the Hageland. Although a victory was achieved over the German army with the Battle of the Silver Helmets at Halen, the success of the Gete position was short-lived: on 18 August, the Belgian army suffered heavy losses in Oplinter, Sint-Margriete-Houtem and Grimde. That same day, Belgian troops left Leuven to defend Aarschot.

In the morning of 19 August, the advancing German troops were briefly held up, but the superior force soon became apparent. The army leadership decided to withdraw the Belgian troops. They left the city under heavy fire. Some 120 soldiers were killed.

In their passage through Aarschot, the German troops spared no one: soldiers were shot, civilians were chased from their homes, herded together and threatened with death. After intervention by mayor Jozef Tielemans, all civilians were released with the warning that for every German soldier killed by a civilian, three fellow citizens would be executed. When the German Major General Stenger, who had moved into the home of mayor Tielemans on the Grote Markt, was shot on the balcony, reprisals followed: the houses around the Grote Markt were searched and set on fire, the residents were herded together at the pump on the Grote Markt and a group of men were taken to a meadow on the Leuvensesteenweg. There they were executed in groups of three. Later, 75 bodies were found in the mass grave. Later that evening, a second group of prisoners was led outside the city. The next morning, the German officers decided to execute one in three hostages, as threatened. Again, 29 people died, including the mayor and his son. The civilians who were still wandering around the city were locked up in the church and held for days. On 6 September, 300 prisoners were taken away by train to the Sennelager camp.

Inventory of Immovable Heritage: War Monument, id.erfgoed.net/erfgoedobjecten/214988

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Jeff S

December 30, 2023

This souvenir is located on the Grote Markt...

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Elevation 10 m

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Friday 14 November

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Location: Aarschot, Leuven, Flemish Brabant, Flanders, Belgium

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War Memorial

1. Church view – View of the church loop from Aarschot

2. Aarschot Beguinage – View of the church loop from Aarschot

3. Beautiful view over Aarschot – Path Along the Motte loop from Aarschot

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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