The Battle of the Yser was a battle of the First World War that took place in October 1914 between the towns of Nieuwpoort and Diksmuide, along a 35 km (22 mi) stretch of the Yser River and the Yperlee Canal, in Belgium. The front line was held by a large Belgian force, which halted the German advance in a costly defensive battle.
Depiction of the "admirable resistance" of Belgian forces
Belgian soldiers pictured during the retreat towards Antwerp in August 1914
Fall of Antwerp and the Allied retreat, 1914
Captains of the French Fusiliers marins at the Yser
Nieuwpoort is a city and municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, in the province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Nieuwpoort proper, as well as Ramskapelle and Sint-Joris. On 1 January 2008, Nieuwpoort had a total population of 11,062. Its land area is 31.00 km² which gives a population density of 350 inhabitants per km². The current mayor of Nieuwpoort is Geert Vanden Broucke (CD&V)
Belfry and city hall
Destruction caused to the city of Nieuport in November 1917
Damage in 1919
A view of the beach and the pier at Nieuwpoort