Abandoned places

The Spanish Empire once spread over much of the world, but the Spanish-American War of 1898 dealt the global empire a death blow.

The Hartmannswillerkopf massif in the French Vosges Mountains overlooks the Alsace and was the scene of heavy fighting between the French and German armies from December 1914 onwards during the First World War.

The rock castle of Lutzelhardt was partly carved out of the sandy rocks of the 400-metre-high Adelsberg at some point in the 13th century.

Monday morning, February 21, 1916. It is a quarter past seven in the morning when the German army opens fire on the forts north and east of Verdun in France.

The Schengen Agreement has allowed free movement of people within the European Union since 1992. As internal borders disappeared, customs posts along the border became utterly useless.

A monumental memorial was erected in 1938 on the bank of the Yser in Nieuwpoort in honour of Belgian King Albert I.

The ring road R8 around the Belgian town of Kortrijk has been awaiting completion for decades. Construction of this ring road around the city began more than 50 years ago, in 1973. 

Mobile anti-tank barriers, known as Cointet elements, formed the backbone of the Belgian KW line erected in 1939 to prevent a German invasion.

The Norbertines of Tongerlo Abbey erected a moated castle on the site where noble lords and ladies had resided since 1271.

In Antwerp, dozens of kilometres of trenches, parapets and ramparts lie hidden under a thick crust of branches and leaves.