Vloethemveld is a large nature reserve that, starting in 1924, served as munitions depot for the Belgian Army for several decades. During World War II, the British Army repurposed it as a prisoner-of-war camp, and the site held more than 100,000 German and Eastern European POWs. Vloethemveld was later reverted back to a depot, and was used as such through the Cold War.
After the depot was decommissioned in the 1990s, Vloethemveld was legally designated as a protected landscape. Today, the area is open for nature lovers and history buffs alike.