Ypres has a past quite different from that of Nieuport or Dixmude,
a past of war and magnificence. Her main square, next to that of
Brussels, is the most beautiful in the world. Her Town Hall, her
Cathedral, her Market Hall, combine all the splendors. The Town Hall
and Cathedral are assuredly beautiful, but the Market Hall is more than
that, for it is unique. Its severity, its length, the symmetry of its
lines, its roofs like great wings feathered with slates, its soaring
and massive walls, suggest a giant triumphal arch. It is so large that
in time of peril the whole town could gather there for shelter.
The Market Hall of Ypres has always been a communal building. In
the Middle Ages it was the business center of the cloth makers, the
weavers. It has seen popular revolts and rioting. It has known agony
and passion, joy and pride. For centuries it has stood there, the
wonder of Ypres.