Tourism Office Veurne

Veurne is an old and elegant town, with a unique market square. The famous British war correspondent, Philip Gibbs, noted in his book 'The Soul of the War' (1915): ‘The town of Furnes, in Belgium, into which I came when dusk crept into its streets and squares, was the headquarters of King Albert and his staff and its people could hear all day long the roll of guns a few kilometres away, where the remnant of their army held the line of the Yser canal and the trenches which barred the roads to Dixmude, Pervyse and other little towns and villages on the last free patch of Belgian soil. I drove into the Grande Place and saw the beauty of this old Flemish square, typical of a hundred others no less quaint and with no less dignity, which had been smashed to pieces by German guns. Three great buildings dominated its architecture - the Town Hall, with a fine stately façade and two ancient churches with massive brick towers, over-shadowing the narrow old houses and timber-front shops with stepped gables and wrought-iron signs…’. In contrast to many other front towns, Veurne was little damaged during the war and still possesses a magnificent architectural heritage. It is also well-known for its Penitents’ Procession, which takes place on the last Sunday in July.