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In many Western European countries, Sinterklaas (or St. Nicholas) is celebrated around 5 - 6 December. In Belgium and the Netherlands, Sinterklaas is the ultimate children’s festive holiday, much more so than Christmas. St. Nicholas brings tasty treats and presents. This was also true on the eve of The First World War. At the time, it was ...
In January 1919, representatives of 32 countries travelled to Paris to re-draw the map of the post-war world, and to discuss what was to happen to the losers of the war. Each country brought its own agenda to the negotiating table. Belgium and Serbia were hoping for reparations, Polish and Irish nationalists sought recognition for their countries, ...
The International Woman Suffrage Alliance (IWSA) was founded by leading feminists in 1904. The organisation was devoted to securing women's suffrage and held regular international conferences. In 1915, it was due to take place in Berlin but was cancelled because of the war.
On a proposal by the Dutch feminist Dr. Aletta Jacobs, the ...
The hardship, continuous fear and the powerlessness of the individual made life in the trenches a physically, but above all psychologically, horrifying experience. Though not visibly injured, many soldiers suffered nervous breakdowns and were no longer able to function. The British army counted 80,000 cases of shell shock by the end of the ...
Vier augustus 1914. De Duitse legers vallen België binnen en veroveren op enkele maanden tijd het grootste gedeelte van ons grondgebied. Al snel kampt het bezette gebied met een immens probleem: voeding en goederen tot bij de bevolking krijgen. Nationaal Hulp- en VoedingskomiteitDe oplossing dient zich aan in de vorm van een fijnmazig ...
Une ville imprenable
Dès le milieu du 19e siècle, Anvers occupa une place particulière dans les plans de défense militaire. Le gouvernement et le haut commandement avaient décidé de transformer la ville portuaire en Réduit national, une forteresse dans laquelle l’armée, le roi et le gouvernement pourraient se replier ...
Am Vorabend des Krieges war Belgien in seiner Lebensmittelversorgung zum großen Teil abhängig vom Import. Durch die britische Seeblockade entfiel dieser Einführ. Hierdurch wurde die Lebensmittellage schwierig, vor allem in Städten. Um die Bevölkerung zu versorgen, wurde ein gigantisches Hilfsprogramm auf die Beine gestellt, dass durch zwei ...
L’offensive de libération alliée commença dès août 1918. Les alliés amorcèrent l’attaque sur tout le front occidental pour repousser définitivement les Allemands. C’était maintenant ou jamais. Les troupes allemandes étaient sur les rotules après l’échec de leur offensive du printemps. En Allemagne, la ...
Net als nu kwam er bij het uitbreken van de Eerste Wereldoorlog en bij de inval van de Duitsers in België een massale vluchtelingenstroom op gang. Van de ruim anderhalf miljoen Belgen die naar het buitenland vluchtten, kwamen er in het Verenigd Koninkrijk alleen al minstens 250.000 terecht. Zowat 90 procent van hen verbleef in ...
Après l’attentat visant le prince héritier autrichien en juin 1914, les tensions entre les puissances européennes s’intensifièrent rapidement. Les Belges ne s’en souciaient que peu : le pays étant neutre, il ne fallait donc pas craindre son implication dans un éventuel conflit. Mais c’était sans compter le plan ...
Hunde spielten, wie auch andere Tiere, eine nicht zu unterschätzende Rolle in der Kriegsführung. Auch sie wurden 1914 ‚zu den Waffen gerufen‘ und halfen den Soldaten auf verschiedene Weise. Hinter der Front wurden sie vor kleine Karren gespannt und beförderten Maschinengewehre, Munitionskisten und Lebensmittel. Nach einem Beschuss ...
Eine uneinnehmbare Stadt
Seit ungefähr der Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts nahm Antwerpen eine besondere Position in den militärischen Verteidigungsplänen ein. Die Regierung und Armeeleitung hatte entschieden, die Hafenstadt zu einer Nationaal Raduit, einer verstärkten Festung umzuformen, in die die Armee, der König und die ...
In many Western European countries, Sinterklaas (or St. Nicholas) is celebrated around 5 - 6 December. In Belgium and the Netherlands, Sinterklaas is the ultimate children’s festive holiday, much more so than Christmas. St. Nicholas brings tasty treats and presents. This was also true on the eve of The First World War. At the time, it was ... 
