Walking around the cathedral in Ypres, it is hard to believe the area was razed to the ground during the Great War. It is also difficult to fathom some of the other atrocities that took place not far from here 100 years ago.
Our correspondent Sandor Zsiros is in the Belgian city as EU leaders prepare to hold a summit.
“The city of Ypres is a symbol of the brutality of WWI. The fighting lasted four years here and this is the place where, for the first time in history, armies used poison gas against each other,” said Zsiros.
With attention focusing on centenary commemorations, a city synonymous with death and suffering is discovering a new life. Thousands more people are now visiting the city to learn about some of the horrors of yesteryear.
Historian Dominiek Dendoven says there are many lessons to be learnt from the Great War, most notably the lack of good leadership.
With the unity and prosperity of Europe now tested by economic and social strife, some say there is no more fitting place for an EU Summit to be held.
