POPERINGE, WEST FLANDERS.

A small town at the end of the railway line from Kortrijk. The town is famous for growing hops and has a museum dedicated to them. The history of the town goes back to Roman times. In the 13th and 14th centuries the town prospered and became well known for its cloth, the linen of Poperinge i.e. Popeline. It was also a member of the Hanseatic League a medieval guild of merchants from north Germany but with trading connections in Flanders and England. As the cloth industry declined the hop took over as the main source of income for the town. In the Grote Markt stands the town hall (Staidhuis), Neo Gothic built in 1911, which contains the Tourist Information office and is surrounded by many bars and cafes.

Several military cemeteries can be found in and around the town the largest being the Lyssenthoek also called the Remi cemetery the second largest British military cemetery in West Flanders with approx 11,000 graves. Weary soldiers were often sent to Poperinge nicknamed Pops or as it was also known, the last stop before hell, hell being Ypres (Ieper).

POPERINGE TOWN CEMETERY

TRAVEL

Getting to Poperinge by train is easy, there is a train every hour weekdays and weekends from Brussels it goes via Zottergem, Oudenaarde, Kortrijk and Ieper. There are also hourly services from Ghent, Brugge and Lille (France) changing at Kortrijk.

GETTING ABOUT

The town of Poperinge is small enough to be explored on foot at leisure in a couple of days, with plenty of time for refreshments. Some directions will start from the station and some from the Grote Markt. Getting from the station from the Grote Markt is easy, just turn left out of the station and continue straight along Ieperstraat, its about a 7 to 10 minute walk.