Andrew's Blog from Brussels

Despite not having a comprehensive map, it was easy to find as you just had to walk towards the Lion's Mount (Butte de Lion - pictured above), constructed in 1836 on the spot where where William II of the Netherlands (the Prince of Orange) was knocked from his horse by a musket ball to the shoulder during the battle. At its summit, standing 43m above the ground, is a 28-tonne statue of a lion mounted upon a stone-block pedestal to symbolise courage; its right front paw is upon a sphere, signifying global victory.

The main motorway route from Charleroi to Brussels runs very close to the site, although you can barely see or hear it when you are at the visitor centre, where I managed to blag a €9 student ticket for the entire tour (film, interactive show, wax museum, access to the Butte de Lion and a tour of the fields in a converted lorry)!

The film and show were an excellent starting place for me, as they described the events leading to, during and after the battle, explaining its importance in the construction of Europe as we know it. After escaping captivity and staging a successful coup d'état, Napoleon Bonaparte had regained the French throne and was threatening to re-conquer parts of his former empire.

The allied forces (UK and Prussia) were determined to stop this and to protect Brussels, the Duke of Wellington, commanding the UK forces, chose Waterloo as the ideal site to counter Napoleon's troops. You have to say his tactics were spot-on. He had positioned his troops behind a large ridge, making it almost impossible for Napoleon to gauge the scale of opposition. Plus, to get to them, the French troops would have had to negotiate a tricky and hilly terrain to engage with the Allies.

I will not continue to talk about what happened and what went wrong for Napoleon because I would recommend reading the accounts for yourself, but needless to say The Allies were victorious.

The Battle had only been a detail of history to me before my visit - I knew it had happened and who had won - but seeing the site for myself really brought it to life. The fields have long been subject of exceptional Belgian planning laws prohibiting any changes or building work, so they are, as they were keen to point out on the tour, remain largely as they were back in June 1815.

I could really imagine the struggle of the soldiers, especially those who did not want to be there, but having to engage in combat, in the rain-soaked battlefields against a revitalised French army, with cannonballs flying overhead, artillery fire clouding the air in gunpowder smoke, the constant sound of gunfire and the air filled with the sounds of charging horsemen and screaming casualties. (And I thought getting out of bed early to make the trip was tough...)

Waterloo, and what it represents, will now hold a greater meaning for me as it undoubtedly still does in Anglo-French relations. As for the Eurostar, the services are rerouted to St Pancras station, which is a shame since I have always spoken of the irony of making French passengers on the Eurostar arrive into London at the station named Waterloo...

For more photos from my visit click here.

Labels: Travel

Posted by Andrew on Monday, October 19, 2009 at 8:56 AM | Permalink