# Good ideas
Would you like to discover special aspects of our heritage?
Share a seasonal selection of landmarks with your family or friends.
From the unusual to the unmissable or following the calendar, Comines-Warneton’s Tourist Office has a range of good ideas to help you make the most of your visit.
Discover our good ideas
#bons plans à découvrir cet été
Museums
Culture and heritage
Blockhaus Pionier 14-18
Only remnant of the German occupation in Comines-Warneton
Long forgotten and buried under backfill, this German blockhouse was built by German engineers in the town centre in 1917. At the time, this single-storey concrete structure was an artillery command post, with narrow corridors connecting cramped rooms. It belonged to the network of bunkers in the Lys valley sector, in the immediate vicinity of the frontline. A group of enthusiasts transformed it into a museum.
- 1 €/pers.
- Not suitable for persons with reduced mobility
- Rue des Arts • 7780 Comines
- +32(0)56 55 80 81
- +33(0)6 81 20 51 16
- f.maekelberg@gmail.com
Brewery Museum of Warneton
Three generations of brewers
At the Brewery Museum, learn about the history of the La Poste brewery run by the Van Windekens family.
Discover the passing on of brewing know how and the different stages of the beer making process.
Admire the beauty of the old copper equipment and the character of the premises.
Enjoy the flavour of a local beer offered as a final tasting.
- Approx. 1,5 hour
- 5 €/pers.
- Not accessible for disabled persons
- Rue Pierre De Simpel, 11 • 7784 Warneton
- +33(0)6 23 26 57 40
- mallepostwarneton@gmail.com
Soete Windmill
Whichever way the wind blows
Discover the unique history of the Soete mill, one of the 7 largest windmills in Europe. Destroyed by the Germans in 1914, then rebuilt, it was kept in operation by the Soete family until 1965. But it gradually fell into disrepair. After years of avoiding the issue, the restored windmill eventually moved to the outskirts of Comines-Warneton. A fire brought it down, but it rose again from the ashes like a phoenix. During your visit, you will admire the working of the milling mechanism and enjoy a nice view over the surrounding countryside.
- 45 min.
- 2,50 €/pers.
- Not suitable for persons with reduced mobility
- Chemin du Moulin Soete, 7 • 7780 Comines
- andre.de.campenaere@telenet.be
- adecampenaere@gmail.com
- www.moulinsoete.be
Plugstreet 14-18 Experience
Comines-Warneton and the First World War
Visit the Plugstreet 14-18 Experience Interpretation Centre
Perfectly integrated into its wooded surroundings and built close to Ploegsteert’s British Memorial to the Missing, Plugstreet 14-18 Experience Interpretation Centre has a wonderful resonance.
- From 1 April to 30 September
- Tuesday to Friday: 10am to 5pm
-
First Friday of the month: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
(Last Post at 7 p.m. at the British Memorial) - Weekends: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- From 1 October to 31 March
- Wednesday to Friday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
-
First Friday of the month: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
(Last Post at 7 p.m. at the British Memorial) - Weekends : 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- 1,5 hour
- 7 €/pers.
- Accessible to visitors with reduced mobility
- Rue de Messines, 156 • 7782 Ploegsteert
- +32(0)56 48 40 00
- ic.plugstreet1418@gmail.com
- www.plugstreet1418.be
Ribbon Museum
Comines, city of ribbon
The mission of Comines’ Ribbon Museum is to pass on a precious know-how and share an age-old tradition, but above all to weave ribbon before your very eyes!
With weaving looms in operation, dancing shuttles, cadenced by manual or mechanical impulses.
For a unique experience!
- From 1 May to 31 October :
- Tuesday to Friday : Guided tours at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
- Saturday : Guided tours at 2:30 p.m.
- Sunday : Guided tours at 10:30 a.m.
- From 1 November to 30 April :
- Tuesday to Friday : Guided tours at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
- First Sunday of the month: Guided tours at 10:30 a.m.
- 1,5 hour
- 7 €/pers.
- First Sunday of the month free
- Accessible to visitors with reduced mobility
- Rue des Arts, 3 • 7780 Comines
- +32(0)56 58 77 68
- info@larubanerie.be
- www.larubanerie.be
Nature
RNOP
Ploegsteert nature and bird sanctuary
This paradise for birds and birdwatchers covers some 130 hectares of distinct biotopes, all of which originated from former clay pits: wooded areas, marshes, vast bodies of water and reed beds.
All these areas are managed in such a way as to create a high level of biodiversity.
More than 220 species of birds have been observed here.
It is here also that the largest population of crested newts in Hainaut has been recorded.
It is also the hunting ground for several rare species of bats.
Fossil remains dating from the last ice age are regularly discovered in the clay pits.
The entire site is privately owned by the Ploegsteert brickworks,
but a wide path allows visitors to walk around the nature sanctuary.
A shelter built on the edge of a pond is the ideal place to discretely observe birds at close range.
- 2 hours
- Free
- Accessible to visitors with reduced mobility (except observatories)
- Rue du Gheer • 7783 Ploegsteert (Le Bizet)
- windels.martin@gmail.com
- https://rnop.ovh
Remembrance
Anzac Day Eve
In the nineteen twenties, 25 April became a day of remembrance dedicated to the 60,000 Australians and 18,500 New Zealanders who fell during the First World War. Marking the anniversary of the Gallipoli landing in 1915, ANZAC Day has become a joint event for the two nations and at World War I memorial sites abroad.
- British Memorial (Berks Cemetery Extension) andToronto Avenue Cemetery
- Rue de Messines, 159 • 7782 Ploegsteert
Battle of the Canal
Would you be surprised to learn that, at the end of May 1940, fierce fighting delayed the German advance and allowed the British Expeditionary Force to re-embark at Dunkirk? 235 British soldiers lost their lives on the banks of the Comines-Ypres Canal.
The Battle of the Canal Committee and the Comines-Warneton Patriotic Associations Association pay tribute to them every year at the end of May on the Canal Esplanade.
Discover this esplanade and its memorial, designed by Roger Coppe.
- Esplanade du Canal
- Rue de Warneton • 7780 Comines
The informal Christmas Truce
The 1914 Christmas Truce was first re-enacted by the Comité de la Bataille du Canal in 2007.
This re-enactment gradually gained importance to include a bivouac, permanent trenches, a football match, public support and a peace candle ceremony … A great tribute to the incredible Christmas Truce that took place at Saint-Yvon!
-
Memorial Christmas Truce 1914
Khaki Chums 1914 Christmas Truce Cross - Chemin du Mont de la Hutte • 7782 Ploegsteert
Last Post
Experience a moment of intense remembrance! Join the fervent and receptive audience as the Last Post is played. Feel the powerful impact of the Last Post bugle call and its resonance within the majestic walls of the British Memorial at Ploegsteert.
Share these moments of contemplation and tribute to the victims of the Great War.
- Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing
- Rue de Messines, 159 • 7782 Ploegsteert
Folklore
Fête de la Brique
Le Bizet is the most remote part of Comines-Warneton. Particularly popular with French visitors, this hamlet is renowned for its friendly atmosphere and local tourism: beers, chocolate, tobacco… But its history has been shaped by the brick.
- Le Bizet centre • 7783 Le Bizet
Fête des Louches
Legend has it that Messire de Commynes was once imprisoned in a tower of his castle in the Middle Ages. He was sought in vain by his family and had the idea of throwing his ladle engraved with the family coat of arms from the window of his cell. The ladle was found, and the lord was freed.
- Comines France centre • 59560 Comines (F)
Fête des Marmousets
The Marmouset is a young, sometimes mischievous apprentice who helps his master ribbon maker, the Bleu Vinte, by doing odd jobs. How he would love to equal or surpass his elder! Good things come to those who wait… He is the epitome of the Fête des Marmousets, the showpiece of our ribbon-making tradition.
- Comines centre • 7780 Comines
Fête des Moissons
The three-storey-high Soete mill proudly towers over the festival tent. Its ribbon-adorned sails dance in the breeze. During the traditional harvest festival, Capelle, a charming hamlet in Comines, rediscovers the spirit of its mill and traditions
- Chemin du Moulin Soete, 7 • 7780 Comines
Fête des Mountches
Warneton was long ago the seat of an abbey dedicated to Saint Nicholas under the authority of Arrouaise Abbey. Apparently, the monks of Warneton used to distribute sweets to the town’s inhabitants on their patron saint’s day.
- Warneton centre • 7784 Warneton
Sport
Remembrance Run on 11/11
Would you like to attend the Ploegsteert Half Marathon, which is both a sporting event and a memorial event? Thousands of participants take on this sporting challenge every year! The Memorial Trophy Organisation pays spectacular tribute to the sacrifice of those who fell during the First World War.
Cheer on the participants in the Remembrance Run on 11 November or take on the challenge of the 8 or 21 km MTO yourself!
- Ploegsteert centre • 7782 Ploegsteert
Culture
Conférence annuelle de la Société d’Histoire de Comines-Warneton
Are you passionate about local and regional history? Would you like to learn more? Mark your calendar for the SHCWR’s annual conference! It traditionally takes place in early December and offers a unique programme.
Discover different facets of our history and the annual volume of the Historical Society’s Memoirs.
Cultural Center MJC
- Rue des Arts, 2 • 7780 Comines
- +32(0)56 56 15 15
- info@cccw.be
Street sales & Weekly markets
Street sales
Ploegsteert : first Saturday of May
Le Bizet : Pentecost Saturday
Comines : second Saturday of June
Warneton : first Sunday of July
Le Bizet : second Sunday of July
Weekly markets
Comines : place Sainte-Anne, Monday morning
Warneton : place de l’Abbaye, Thursday morning
Ploegsteert : place de la Rabecque, Sunday morning
