Daily life in occupied Leuven (1914 – 1918)

De Duitse troops have swept through the city and the front has bogged down in the mud of the Yser plain. It will not be a quick war; it will be a war of attrition that will last four years. Belgium is squeezed like a lemon by the German occupier. The citizens too are driven to the limit to survive. Entire life is determined by rules; nothing escapes the stranglehold of the General Government. Every spot is good for growing vegetables. People collect tree bark for their stoves and learn to cook creatively. The citizen seeks inventive solutions to appease hunger and tries to circumvent the rules, with all consequences ensuing. We walk among the ruins left by the fire of August 1914, in search of traces of human tragedies.