War Memorials Nieuwrode

Monuments in memory of the victims of the First and Second World War.

When the Belgians made a first attack from Fortress Antwerp on 26 August 1914, the German troops were restless and frustrated. Leuven would be set on fire, but other municipalities also shared in the suffering. In nearby Gelrode the civilians were accused of having fired at a German reconnaissance plane. The men had fled into the woods. Women, children and elders were held hostage in the church. The Germans' manhunt extended to the neighboring villages, including to Nieuwrode. Marching in long lines across the fields and shouting loudly, the Germans searched the area. Houses were looted and residents hunted. The prisoners were brought together in the churches of Wezemaal and Gelrode. Two days later, on August 28, they are transported on foot to Nossegem to be transported in the evening in animal wagons to Germany, to the camps of Zelle, Soltau and Münster. Months later, they would return to their village sick and starving. Some did not return.

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Source

• Text: Jan Rymenams
• Photos: Jan Rymenams