La torre tedesca in Poperinge diventa un punto di vista con una mostra all’interno: “Racconta la storia della seconda guerra mondiale” | VRT NWS: notizie

O hai!

80 years after the end of World War II, a unique German tower in Poperinge has been opened to the public. This observation tower, built in 1940, was part of the unfinished Flugplatz Peselhoek. 

Our sites in the Westhoek area contributed to the research and discovered that the tower was also used in the 1950s by the GTA (‘Garde Territoriale Anti-Luchtwaak’), a little-known Belgian military unit that was tasked with visually detecting enemy aircraft from the Warsaw Pact.

Observations were transmitted to a communication center in Roeselare, which was also connected to the command bunker in Kemmel. In Kemmel, the Air Force processed radar data from sister bunkers in Glons and Zemmerzake, where modern tools were also used to search for Soviet aircraft. It was not until the mid-1960s that the Command bunker in Kemmel was transformed into the Joint Staff bunker. You can visit the Command Bunker (it’s one of our sites), it’s even free with your Museum Pass! 

The story of the LuWaak is a nearly forgotten chapter, involving up to 30,000 men at its peak. Many of them were ‘weekend soldiers’ who served as substitutes for military duty on weekends. In principle, they were also supposed to be able to shoot down Soviet aircraft, but this never came to pass during the Cold War. After a few years, the LuWaak was disbanded. 

The Poperinge tower has been beautifully restored, with great attention to authenticity. From the tower, there is an exceptional view of the Kemmelberg and the other West Flemish and French hills. The project is part of Horizon2025 and is a collaboration between Westtoer, Provincie West-Vlaanderen, Stad Poperinge and Toerisme Poperinge.