Sanctuary Wood Museum (Hill 62)

Sanctuary Wood Museum, also known as Hill 62, is one of the most distinctive First World War sites near Ypres. Located approximately three kilometres east of the city along the Canadalaan, the museum sits on land that was at the heart of intense fighting during the Ypres Salient. The site was preserved by the Schier family, local farmers who returned after the war and left the battlefield landscape largely untouched. Behind the museum building, visitors can explore a partially restored system of original British trenches, complete with covered passageways and sections of underground tunnel. Inside, the collection includes weapons, uniforms, personal effects recovered from the battlefield, and a remarkable set of rare three-dimensional wartime photographs viewed through special stereoscopic boxes. The museum also includes a café and small gift shop. The adjacent Sanctuary Wood Cemetery contains more than 2,000 Commonwealth burials. While the museum’s presentation is informal and unpolished compared to larger institutions, it offers an authenticity that many visitors find uniquely powerful. It is an essential stop for those wishing to understand the physical reality of trench warfare on the Western Front.