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Ypres and cats have been linked for centuries. Today, everyone is familiar with the Cat Parade, which winds its way through the city’s streets every three years. But the origins of this tradition go back much further. As early as the Middle Ages, cats played a prominent role in city life.

The Christmas season is upon us once again. High time to delve into the museum collection and see what traces of this annual celebration can be found. In addition to classic scenes depicting the birth of Christ, several Santa Claus dolls catch the eye. They belong to the collection of the Tientelientje Puppet Theatre, which was donated to the Ypres museums in 2005.

The Yper Museum has a special collection of old photographs. All of them were taken in Ypres and the surrounding area, or by residents of Ypres themselves. Did you know that one of the oldest photographs preserved in our country is on display in the Ypres Museum? It is a daguerreotype by Pierre Spotbeen from 1844. Daguerreotypes are images on silver-plated copper plates. The process was purchased by the French state in 1839. A few years later, Ypres already had its first photographers.

Every year, Ypres hosts the Gevleugelde Stad street theatre festival. International artists give their all. Street theatre has a long history and tradition. In the nineteenth century, Serafijn Vermote depicted this in two beautiful paintings.

The City Museum opened in 1929 in the Vleeshuis. One room was set up as a Chinese room with a portrait of the Chinese president in the centre. The porcelain on display was purchased with a donation from Xu Shichang, the president of the Republic of China.

On the first Saturday in August, the annual procession for Our Lady of Tuine passes through Ypres once again. With this procession of thanksgiving, the people of Ypres have been honouring their patron saint, Our Lady of Tuine, for centuries.