During the First World War, Gapaardhoek was a logistical junction behind the front. Military units could temporarily leave the trench warfare behind them for some respite. The “Camp des Américains” barracks was built in 1917. It provided shelter to a Belgian infantry battalion and had 14 brick sleep barracks.
There was a field kitchen with a well behind it in the camp. These are the last testimonies to Gapaardhoek’s war past. This heritage site was declared a protected monument on 28 July 2011.
The field kitchen was restored and opened to the public as part of the re-parcelling of Sint-Rijkers at the end of 2016 / beginning of 2017. The steel frame represents the missing part of the building. The site is owned and managed by the city of Lo-Reninge.
