Battle of the Lys (1940)

The Lys (French pronunciation: ​[lis]) or Leie (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈlɛi̯ə] (listen)) is a river in France and Belgium, and a left-bank tributary of the Scheldt. Its source is in Pas-de-Calais, France, and it flows into the river Scheldt in Ghent, Belgium. Its total length is 202 kilometres (126 mi). Historically a very polluted river from the high population density and industrialisation in both Northern France and Belgium, it has seen substantial improvements in recent years, partly due to the decline of the principal industry, the spinning and weaving of flax. The region of the Leie (between Deinze and Ghent) was known as a favourite place for numerous painters in the first half of the 20th century. The source of the Lys is in a village, Lisbourg, east of Fruges, in the Pas-de-Calais department of France. It flows generally northeast through the following departments of France, provinces of Belgium and towns and municipalities: Pas-de-Calais (F): Thérouanne, Aire-sur-la-Lys Nord (F): Merville, Armentières, Halluin Hainaut (B): Comines-Warneton West Flanders (B): Menen, Wevelgem, Kortrijk, Waregem, Wervik East Flanders (B): Zulte, Deinze, GhentThe main tributaries of the Leie are, from source to mouth: Laquette, Clarence, Lawe, Deûle, Gaverbeek, Heulebeek, and Mandel.The river was the location of three battles between the Allies and the German Army. During the First World War in 1918 the location was the scene of the First Battle of the Lys, which was part of the German Spring Offensive and later that year of the Second Battle of the Lys, which was part of the Allies' Hundred Days Offensive. During the Second World War, the Battle of the Lys was part of the 1940 German offensive in Flanders towards the English Channel.

The Ghent Student Regatta is a boat race for students in April 2008 at Portus Ganda in the heart of historical Ghent in Dutch-speaking Flanders, Belgium, was 2008 a common initiative of Paul Van Cauwenberge, the Rector of Ghent University, in collaboration with Ghent Students Rowing the sports department of the City and Patrick Rombaut, Umpiring Commission Chairman of the Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d'Aviron (FISA). Rombaut started the Sprint idea at this location back in September 2007, where his regatta team of the annual May regatta of Ghent organised a race between the rowing teams of Christ Church Boat Club of Oxford University, Henley Rowing Club, a junior team of K.R. Club Gent/Royal Club Nautique de Gand and his own KR Sport Gent 1883 eight. The race was won in 1907 with the colours and blades of K.R.Sport Gent (Royal Sport Nautique de Gand = French name at that time) and they won again in 2007 in this 200m sprint. The idea came from the Mercedes Benz FISA World Rowing Sprints at Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park in London back in 2002. It was also a trial to bring rowing into city centers again. There are plans to continue with the enlarged version of the event every two or three years, in the same location.

Portus Ganda is one of the yacht moorings provided by the city of Ghent in East Flanders, Belgium. Located at Veerkaai 2 at a crossing in the old waterways of the river Leie, it opened in 2005 to create a destination for people touring the Flemish waterways by boat. The harbour master's office is located next to the new entrance of the Van Eyck swimming pool that faces the Veermanplein. (The pool's original entrance on the Julius de Vingeplein is now a staff-only entrance) The moorings provide hookups for water and electricity. Security is low as the docks are accessible from the shore. For people wishing to explore Gent the city centre is in walking distance from the docks and for more immediate needs there are restaurants and shopping along the Kaiser Karel Straat. The city website provides both Contact Information for the Harbour Master (in Flemish) and tourism information (in English)

The Sint-Lievenscollege is a Catholic group of schools in Ghent, Belgium, composed of a number of elementary and primary schools, a secondary general school ('humaniora') and a secondary vocational trade school.

Saint Bavo's Abbey (Dutch: Sint-Baafsabdij) is a former abbey in the currently Belgian city of Ghent. It was founded in the 7th century by Saint Amand, who also founded Saint Peter's Abbey, Ghent, near the confluence of the Leie and Scheldt rivers. Originally, the abbey was also called Ganda, a name of Celtic origin, meaning "river mouth", referring to the Leie river debouching into the Scheldt river. In the 9th century, the abbey was raided twice by Vikings, which made the monks flee to Laon. After an absence of nearly 50 years, they came back to Ghent and re-established the abbey. The German emperor Otto II saw the abbey as a strategical defense point on the Scheldt river (the former border between the Holy Roman Empire and West Francia) in his eternal conflict with Louis V of France. Saint Bavo Church in Aardenburg, Netherlands, was founded by monks of the abbey in 959. John of Gaunt, the fourth son of Edward III of England and father of Henry IV of England, was born in the abbey in 1340. Raphael de Mercatellis was abbot of the abbey from 1478, and used money from the abbey to commission lavish illuminated manuscripts.In 1540, Charles V ordered the destruction of the abbey. A coercion castle, with its cannons directed at Ghent, was built on the location of the abbey.

The Spanjaardenkasteel ("Spaniards' Castle") was a castle in the city of Ghent in present-day Belgium. The castle was commissioned in 1540 by the Holy Roman Emperor and Spanish king Charles V after he crushed a rebellion by the city. The castle housed a garrison of about 2,500 men. The castle was eventually demolished in the 19th century.

Kuipke or Citadel Park Velodrome is an indoor velodrome in Ghent, Belgium. It opened in 1927 and was rebuilt after a fire in 1965. It is best known from the Six Days of Ghent, held annually in November. The velodrome is also used as an event hall for concerts and occasional basketball games. On 21 March 1959 Louis Armstrong performed in the Kuipke, and in 2014, it was the location for the live shows of the Flemish version of The Voice.

Vlerick Business School ("Vlerick") is a Belgian business school with campuses in Ghent, Leuven and Brussels. It is a result of a merger of the MBA programmes of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and of the Instituut Professor Vlerick voor Management of Ghent University, in 1999. It is a higher education institute recognized and subsidized by decree.

The Diocese of Ghent (Latin: Dioecesis Gandavensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Belgium. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels. The patron of the diocese is Saint Bavo of Ghent.

Gent-Dampoort is the second largest railway station in Ghent, East Flanders, Belgium. The station opened on 15 June 1861 on the Lines 58 and 59. The train services are operated by NMBS/SNCB. The current building was built in 1973 by architects Dirk Servaes and Johan Beyne. The railway station is situated in the neighbourhood Dampoort in Ghent.

Dampoort is a neighbourhood in the city of Ghent in Belgium. Nowadays it is mainly known as the location of railway station Gent-Dampoort and a major crossroads. In former times it used to be the eastern gate of the city (poort being Dutch for "gate"). It opened the city towards the region of Waasland (or Land van Waas) and Antwerp. It is also where the commercial seaport of Ghent links with the inner-city canals. Close to the Dampoort is Portus Ganda, the yachting area of the city, which opened in 2005, at the former confluence of the rivers Schelde (English: Scheldt) and Leie. The Dampoort neighbourhood is characterised by a bustling mix of people from different origins: Turkish, Afghans, Eastern Europeans, native Belgians, Moroccan and practically any other nationality the city harbours.

The Gent Jazz Festival is an international jazz festival held annually in Ghent, Belgium in mid July. It lasts two weeks and the programmation is divided in two parts: the first week, called All That Jazz., unites some of the best jazz performers in the world while the second week, named All That Jazz?, gathers groups playing music related to jazz, e.g. soul music and electronic music. Edition