Tyne Cot Cemetery Bezoekerscentrum
Free visitor centre at Tyne Cot Cemetery in Passendale, with information about the cemetery and the Battle of Passendale and a panoramic view of the battlefield.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Tyne Cot Cemetery was originally a fortified German position on the first line of defence in Flanders. In October 1917 Australian troops set up a medical aid post there, which grew into a small cemetery with 340 graves for soldiers who died there of their wounds. Between 1919 and 1921 British Exhumation Companies brought some 12,000 fallen soldiers from the surrounding battlefield to the cemetery; only 3,800 could be identified. The architect Sir Herbert Baker designed the cemetery, which was inaugurated in 1927.
With 11,956 graves it is one of the largest Commonwealth war cemeteries in the world. On the wall behind the cemetery are the names of 35,000 soldiers with no known grave, who died after 16 August 1917. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission manages the cemetery. In 2023 it was included, together with other cemeteries and monuments on the Western Front in Flanders, on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The free visitor centre was inaugurated in 2007 by the British Queen Elizabeth II and the then Belgian Queen Paola. It is run by the team of the Passchendaele Museum. There you will find a great deal of information about the cemetery and the fallen of Passendale, the landscape before and after the battle, and personal stories of soldiers, plus a panoramic view of the battlefields of 1917. The artwork Passchendaele, Mud and Memory by Professor Steve Dixon was made from local clay from Zonnebeke.
Highlights
- Information about Tyne Cot Cemetery and the Battle of Passendale
- Panoramic view of the battlefields of 1917
- Personal stories of fallen soldiers
- Artwork Passchendaele, Mud and Memory
- Free admission, run by the Passchendaele Museum
- Cemetery on the UNESCO World Heritage List
Permanent exhibition
- Bezoekerscentrum Tyne Cot Cemetery – Information about the history of the cemetery and the fallen of Passendale, with a panoramic view of the battlefields of 1917.
- Founded
- 2007
- Operated by
- Passchendaele Museum (Zonnebeke)
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Both the visitor centre and the cemetery are free to access.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The Zonnebeke tourism portal states that the site is accessible to people with reduced mobility and mentions a toilet.
Kids & families
| Time needed | approx. 60 min |
|---|
Getting there & parking
By car
Free parking
There is free parking for visitors.
Address: Vijfwegestraat 4, 8980 Passendale.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | You can visit the site with a guide; groups can combine a visit with the Passchendaele Museum via the reservations team. A 3 km walking route connects the Passchendaele Museum with Tyne Cot. |
