Study trip to Flanders Fields: walking through history, reflecting on Europe’s path to peace

On Wednesday, 17 September 2025, the students of the Victoria Amelina Promotion, together with the young diplomats from the European Union Diplomatic Academy and the European Union Diplomatic Programme for the Enlargement Region, took part in a study trip to the historic battlefields of the First World War in Flanders Fields, in the Ypres region.

This annual visit, a long-standing tradition at the College, offers students the opportunity to reflect on Europe’s turbulent past and on the historical events that ultimately shaped the path towards peace and European unity.

The day began in Bruges with a conference by College Professor Oriane CALLIGARO. The lecture provided important historical and political context, while also highlighting the challenges of building a shared European memory of war and conflict.

In the afternoon, students visited several key sites of remembrance: Hill 60, the Bayernwald trenches, and Tyne Cot Cemetery, the largest Commonwealth war cemetery in the world. 

The day concluded in Ypres with the moving Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate Memorial. Since 1928, this daily act of homage has honoured the memory of the soldiers of the former British Empire and its allies who died in the Ypres Salient during the Great War. As part of the ceremony, our students, Henrik ARHOLD, Paula ROMO BARTHE, and Mikolaj TUREK, laid down a wreath in tribute to the fallen.

This annual study trip is not only an occasion to study history on site but also a powerful reminder of why European integration was built as a peace project after two devastating wars. By remembering the past, we encourage our students to reflect on the importance of European unity as a safeguard of peace for the present and future.

Photos of the Event