Walking through trenches in Diksmuide

Diksmuide is a city situated in Fl[anders](https://www.livetheworld.com/post/walking-between-west-flanders-hidden-fields-belgium-osj3) next to the river the Yser. During the First world war, the flood gates where opened and the Yser flooded part of Diksmuide and Nieuwpoort. The city is also known as the "city of butter" because of its wealthy dairy trade. It is also famous for its memorials of the first world wars.

The guy from the moon

In Diksmuide you can find this statue of a small guy sitting on the moon. It refers to an old Flemish folks tale. In this tale a man goes to the woods to gather some wood for his stove. He is only allowed to pick up the sticks from the ground since breaking it from the trees is seen as thievery. The man can't find any broken sticks and so he does break some wood from the trees and hurries home before the forester can see him. The forester does see him and when he tries to punish him by sending him to castle to confess his crime, the man says "I haven't stolen this wood and if that would be lie, may I be sent to the moon". And as he said these words the man started floating and was sent to live on the moon.

Alfons Vanhee, from Moere, was one of the people who tried to get the tale known between the Flemish people. He was the publisher of the yearbook (almanak in Dutch) with the name "'t manneke uit de mane", which translates as "the guy from the moon".

AVV -VVK

De Ijzertoren or Yser Tower in English, is a memorial for the Flemish soldiers who died during the first world war. On the four sides of the building the words "Never war again", each side in a different language. On the tower itself you can also see the following letters AVV (vertical) and VVK (horizontally). Its stands for "Alles voor Vlaanderen, Vlaanderen voor Kristus", what means "everything for Flanders, Flanders for Christ". This is a famous saying from Flemish movements and it was also put on the crypt in front of the Yser Tower. The Belgian military did not want the saying to be placed on the gravestones, but against their wishes they put the crosses on many gravestones, memorials, ...

The way of the dead

Next to the many memorials and graveyards dedicated to the many soldiers who died during the war, you can also take a look at the trenches these soldiers used to walk in. In Dutch it is called "De dodengang" which means "the way of the dead". The name refers to the many people who died while fighting in these trenches for around four years. Next to the trenches you can also take a look at the visitor center, here you can take a look at the daily life of the soldiers in the trenches.