This year marks the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo in Belgium. I visited Waterloo a few months ago, however the city was preparing its big reenactment – which took place the weekend of June 27 – and a lot of the historical sites were either closed or partially under construction, in preparation for that big weekend. So when I saw that Viator was starting to offer a Battle of Waterloo Tour right after everything reopened, I immediately signed up.
I met my tour group at the Grasmarkt in Brussels, about five minutes from the Central Station. Together we’d visit the Wellington Museum, the Lion’s Mound, the Panorama of the battlefield, the completely new Memorial Museum and the renovated Hougoumont Farm.
We didn’t have to wait for the tour to start until we got to our first destination, though, as our guide already gave us some background information on the history of Waterloo while we were driving there. She also pointed out things we passed outside, like the Forêt de Soignes, and introduced us to each other by asking where everyone was from.
The garden of the Wellington Museum at Waterloo.
Once we got to the Wellington Museum we could choose: visit the museum by ourselves or follow our guide and her explanations. I loved that we were given this option, as I preferred taking everything in on my own and noticed that some other people in our group felt the same. We all met again at the agreed time to drive on to the site of the battlefield where the Lion’s Mound, the Panorama of the Battle of Waterloo and the new Memorial Museum are located.
The lion of Waterloo overlooking the battlefield at Waterloo.
Once we got there, I felt such surprise. The last time I was here it had been cold and cloudy, the terrace of the on-site bistro wasn’t opened yet, and part of the site was inaccessible due to works. Today, however, the sun was shining, people were out on the terrace and we could now access the new Memorial Museum, free of construction blockades. It already felt worth it to have come back here again.
We headed straight for the Memorial Museum where we again had the option to roam around on our own or follow the guide.
A warning: this museum is huge. You could easily spend three hours or more here if you really wanted to pay close attention to every item on display. The museum tells the story of the battle and provides a historical overview of the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, while also demonstrating how he established things that still influence our lives today (the metric system, for example).
It was worth my while to follow our knowledgeable guide for a while, as she knew where the most important pieces were and could always tell us a bit extra – like how the oldest soldier at the battle had been 73 and that he survived the fights.
The building that houses the Panorama of the Battle of Waterloo.
After we’d visited the museum we were given some time to climb up the Lion’s Mound and to go see the Panorama of the Battle of Waterloo – a 110-meter long and 12-meter high painting that stretches over the inside walls of a round building and depicts various stages of the Battle of Waterloo.
Lastly, we went to the Hougoumont Farm, walking distance from the Memorial site. The pleasant walk on that sunny day took us about 20 minutes, and from the path there was a great view of the Lion’s Mound and the battlefield.
Hougoumont Farm played a crucial role in the Battle of Waterloo.
The Hougoumont Farm had just reopened a week earlier, after a long period of restoration works. This farm is where international troops, under the Duke of Wellington, stood ground while under attack by the French for practically an entire day. The defense demonstrated by the troops at the farm is now seen as a crucial element in the Battle of Waterloo, dispersing the French troops and diminishing their numbers.
With the inclusion of the reopened farm in the tour, we really got a complete picture of the battle. If you’re interested in visiting Waterloo, I highly recommend it.
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- Contributed by Sofie Couwenbergh
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