The Menin Gate is one of four memorials to the missing in the area known as the Ypres Salient. It bears the names of 54,610 soldiers from Australia, Canada, India, South Africa, and the United Kingdom who died in the Salient and whose graves are unknown. The site was chosen because of the hundreds of thousands of men who passed through it on their way to the battlefields.
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The Menin Gate Memorial was unveiled on July 24, 1927. After the opening, the citizens of Ypres wanted to show their gratitude towards those who had given their lives for Belgium’s freedom and the ‘Last Post‘ ceremony was started. Every evening at 8:00 pm buglers from the local fire brigade close the road which passes under the memorial and sound the Last Post.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MENIN GATE
The Menin Gate gives visitors the chance to pay their respects at one of the largest memorials to the fallen in World War I. You can also attend the ceremony that is held each evening and has been held over 31,000 times.
THE MONUMENT
The Menin Gate was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield with sculpture by Sir William Reid-Dick and is now maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Construction began in 1923 and the structure was unveiled by Field Marshal Lord Plumer on the 24th July 1927.
Built from concrete, the memorial is faced with Euville stone and red bricks and is decorated with wreaths and garlands while a lion, which is the symbol of the City of Ieper rests on top. The sides of the monument incorporate two Loggia, galleries which are open to one side and support by columns.
Inscribed above the central arches of the monument are the words:
❝ To the Armies of the British Empire who stood here from 1914 to 1918 andto those of their dead who have no known grave’. ❞
– Rudyard Kipling
And above the two staircases which lead from the central area is the inscription:
❝ Here are recorded names of officers and men who fell in Ypres Salient but to whom the fortune of war denied the known and honoured burial given to their comrades in death. ❞ 
The monument was heavily damaged during fighting in World War II and was restored between 1945 and 1948. The restoration work was overseen by Reginald Blomfield’s son Austin.
REMEMBER THE FALLEN
It’s hard not be awed by the sheer scale of the Menin Gate. The archway covers the road with plenty of pedestrian space on each side and is over 35m long. Once you get close to the monument you then start to see the names of the fallen inscribed on the Portland stone panels that cover the monument and the numbers of people who died in this one area starts to hit home.
Sadly, upon completion, it was realized that it was going to be too small to contain all the names of missing soldiers so the almost 35,000 UK soldiers missing after August 15, 1917, are inscribed on the Tyne Cot Memorial.
THE CEREMONY
If you are able to be in Ypres for the evening ceremony at the Menin Gate, we can’t recommend a visit strongly enough. The traffic is stopped and people gather and then a stillness descends over the memorial. The idea for the ceremony came from the Superintendent of Ieper Police Pierre Vandenbraambussche and
People may gather for the ceremony from as early as 1900. The road is closed to traffic at 1930 and this is a good time to already be at the memorial as it opens up space for watching the ceremony across the road. The buglers from the local volunteer Fire Brigade arrive a few minutes before 2000. They stand at the far end of the memorial from the town across the closed road and at 2000 the Last Post is sounded.
This is followed by the reading of the fourth verse of Laurence Binyon’s poem For the Fallen –
❝ They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them. ❞– Laurence Binyon
There then follows a minutes silence after which wreath-layers will lay their wreaths on the monument. The ceremony concludes with the buglers playing the Réveille.
Incredibly the ceremony has taken place every evening uninterrupted since July 2, 1928 with the exception during the German occupation in WWII. During that time the ceremony was moved to Brookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey, England with it moving back to Menin Gate on the evening the Polish forces liberated Ypres during WWII. This was despite there still being fighting going on other parts of the town.
PLAN YOUR VISIT TO THE MENIN GATE
Information last updated January 2020
HOW TO GET THERE
The Menin Gate can be found at Menenstraat, 8900 Ieper.
If using satellite navigation, the co-ordinates 50°51’07.2″N 2°53’27.5″E will take you to the gate.
The nearest station is Ieper (IC and P lines) and the Menin Gate is a 15-minute walk through the town. Alternatively, you can catch bus 1 from the station to Ieper Markt, the gate is less than five-minutes walk from there.
Paid parking is available in the market square which is less than five-minutes walk from the gate or for free at Ieper railway station.
HELPFUL LINK:
- If you need an app that will navigate you around whether walking, driving or using public transport and even works offline then click for a guide about how to use Here WeGo.
OPENING HOURS
The gate is open 24 hours a day. The daily ceremony is at 2000 each evening.
Though parts of the gate are covered, it remains predominantly exposed to the elements, so you may want to visit when the weather is more pleasant.
We would recommend you aim to spend between 30-minutes and an hour exploring the site. The ceremony lasts between 10 and 25 minutes and visitors will begin to gather at the gate at least 30 minutes beforehand.
TOP TIP: If you wait for the ceremony at the end of the gate near the town, once the road is closed you can move across the road and get a good view of the ceremony.
HOW TO BUY TICKETS
There are no admission charges for the Menin Gate or the Last Post Ceremony.
If you wish to lay a wreath during the ceremony or take part in any other way you can make a request to the Last Post Association.
ACCESSIBILITY
The Menin Gate’s central area is fully wheelchair accessible, however, there are steps on either side which lead to the rear of the memorial. There is a ramp to the side which allows some access, but it has quite a steep incline. Please see the Menin Gate page on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full details.
IS THE MENIN GATE WORTH THE VISIT?
For anyone interested in the events of World War I and especially the battles fought in the Ypres Salient, a visit to the Menin Gate is a moving experience. The sheer size of the monument, covered in 54896 names of the fallen and the knowledge that they ran out of space and more names are recorded at the nearby Tyne Cot cemetery. The daily memorial which has been performed over 31,000 times is a moving memorial and well worth staying for if you can.
See what others think of this attraction on Trip Advisor.
ADD TO YOUR YPRES ITINERARY
Known as Wipers by soldiers in World War I, Ypres or Ieper is a beautiful town which had to be almost completely rebuilt after the war. It’s strong links with the events in the surrounding area and it’s continue commemoration of the sacrifice of so many is remembered around the town.
- Essex Farm was an advanced dressing station in World War I and is the location where Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae wrote the famous poem In Flanders Fields in May 1915.
- Taking its name from the poem by John McCrae, In Flanders Fields Museum tells the story of the First World War in Ypres and the surrounding area.
- The small St George’s Memorial Church Ypres is well worth a visit. The walls are covered in brass plaques in memoriam and the seats all have beautiful hand made cushions denoting regiments, flags and more.
- The largest Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in the world, Tyne Cot staggers the mind with the number of graves. And at the back is a wall of another 35,000 names for those who do not have a grave.
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RESOURCES | PLAN YOUR TRIP TO YPRES
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These are a few tours that we would recommend for your trip to Ypres.
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