TheKemmelberg (English:Kemmel Hill,French:Mont Kemmel) is a hill formation inFlanders,Belgium. It is located less than a kilometre from the village of Kemmel, part of the municipality ofHeuvelland in the province ofWest Flanders. The Kemmelberg is the highest point in the province with an altitude of 154 metres (505 ft), this is the geodetic point with mark Ch63.1, as measured by the National Geographical Institute (NGI) in Brussels in October 1951 via optical levelling.[1]
The earliest settlements on the Kemmelberg date to 2,500 ago, whenCeltic tribes of theHallstatt culture populated the area. The hill takes its name fromCamulos, the Celtic god of war.[citation needed]
DuringWorld War I, it was the location of one of the war's most ferocious battles, theFourth Battle of Ypres, because of its strategic importance. On 25 April 1918,German imperial forces, hoping to force a breakthrough to theNorth Sea, started attacking the French troops on the Kemmelberg with gas grenades. At 6 a.m. theGerman Alpenkorps seized and captured the Kemmelberg, causing Allied troops to withdraw from all the hills in the region. Thousands of French soldiers were killed. Several streets and army barracks in Germany were named after this event (Kemmel-Privatweg inMagdeburg, Kemmelkaserne inMurnau).Friedrich Sixt von Armin andPrince Franz of Bavaria were commanders, butKarl Höfer was celebrated as the hero of Kemmelberg — theHeld vom Kemmelberge.[2] It was recaptured during theBattle of the Peaks of Flanders in late September 1918, as a precursor to theArmistice of 11 November 1918.
Two war cemeteries are located to the northeast of the hill, theKemmel Number 1 French Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery and theKlein Vierstraat British Cemetery with the remains ofWorld War I soldiers. At the top of the Kemmelberg there is a commemorative war memorial, theMonument aux soldats français, constructed in 1932 and inaugurated by French general and war heroLacappelle. The memorial column is 17 metres (56 ft) high and depicts the Roman victory goddessVictoria. In the area, the monument is colloquially called "The Angel".[citation needed]
ANATO air defence command centre was based in an underground bunker on the southern edge of the hill in the 1950s, which now operates as a visitors centre.[3]
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The steep cobbled roads over the hill frequently feature incycling races, especially in the Flemishspring classics. The climb is often a decisive location inGent-Wevelgem, but is also regularly included in theFour Days of Dunkirk, theThree Days of De Panne,Three Days of West Flanders and theTour de l'Eurométropole. In 1950, the Kemmelberg was included in the route of theWorld Championship, won by Belgian local and cycling iconBriek Schotte.
Kemmelberg-East | |
|---|---|
| Location | Heuvelland |
| Start | Kemmel |
| Gain in altitude | 122 m (400 ft) |
| Length of climb | 3.0 km (1.9 mi) |
| Maximum elevation | 154 m (505 ft) |
| Average gradient | 4 % |
| Maximum gradient | 22 % |
Kemmelberg-West | |
|---|---|
| Location | Heuvelland |
| Start | Kemmel |
| Gain in altitude | 109 m (358 ft) |
| Length of climb | 2.5 km (1.6 mi) |
| Maximum elevation | 154 m (505 ft) |
| Average gradient | 4.4 % |
| Maximum gradient | 22 % |
Kemmelberg-South | |
|---|---|
| Location | Heuvelland |
| Start | Kemmel |
| Gain in altitude | 109 m (358 ft) |
| Length of climb | 1.4 km (0.87 mi) |
| Maximum elevation | 154 m (505 ft) |
| Average gradient | 7.8 % |
| Maximum gradient | 17 % |
50°46′59.98″N2°48′59.92″E / 50.7833278°N 2.8166444°E /50.7833278; 2.8166444
