‘Investigation’ into rivalry between Ypres children and Poperinge boulders

‘The people of Ypres are children’. ‘The people of Poperinge are hotheads’. For centuries there has been subcutaneous or clearly palpable competition between the inhabitants of Ypres and Poperinge. The city archives of both cities are joining forces and are looking for what separates the inhabitants of Ypres and Poperingen, but especially what binds them. They will do so during a meeting day on Saturday 21 October.

Cloth battle

A lot of ink has already been spilled about the battle between Ypres and Poperinge. The origins of the feud go back to the flourishing cloth industry in the Middle Ages. On February 7, 1324, the Count of Flanders ordered that towns less than three hours’ walk from Ypres were no longer allowed to weave, shear or dye cloth. The people of Poperingen ignore this decision and continue to produce cloth stubbornly. It is the start of a fierce battle between the two cities. The Poperinge looms are destroyed and set on fire. There are casualties on both sides and a trial must ultimately settle the matter.

Meeting day

700 years later, the mutual rivalry between the two Westhoek cities is still alive. It inspires the City Archives of Ypres and Poperinge to dig into their shared past. The archive employees base this on documents and images from their own depots, but because paper archives do not reveal everything, they also appeal to all residents of Ypres and Poperinge. During a meeting day they want to collect photos and anecdotes that each in their own way show who the people of Ypres and Poperingen are and how they look at each other.

Anyone who can confirm or deny a cliché about the Poperinge ‘boulder heads’ and the Ypres ‘kids’ is welcome on Saturday 21 October from 2 to 5 pm in the meeting center of Vlamertinge.

Valentijn Despeghel, Alderman of Ypres Archives: “Instead of reinforcing the cliché of the rivalry between Ypres and Poperinge, we focus on our shared history. Historical, sporting, socio-cultural, artistic … there are many commonalities between the two cities.”