AP Photos: A Belgian landscape shaped by war

The Associated Press

One hundred years on, World War I resonates across Belgium in countless monuments and cemeteries along with relics of long-abandoned bunkers and trenches that dot the landscape.

Amid the random splattering of red poppies and often wild overgrowth, these relics are a poignant and constant reminder of what happened on Flanders Fields 100 years ago when life was about trenches, the protection of a bunker, a muddy battlefield and destroyed villages.

Some of the relics aren’t just reminders of days gone by. Farmers in West Flanders call the spring plowing season the “iron harvest.”

Here is a gallery of photos from the scene.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up