Louvain/Leuven - Aftermath Photos of German Reprisal in 1914

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Early in the war, the Germans marched through Belgium, violating its neutrality, in an attempt to take France. Although Leuven was in German hands, the occupation was light. However, on August 20, the hastily-mobilized Belgian army tried to capture Leuven. German army units posted outside town were taken by surprised and fled back to Leuven. Germans in the city mistook their comrades for attacking Belgians and killed a few of them.

The Belgians could not sustain the assault and, once the Germans realized there was no serious attack and that they had let themselves be panicked, took their revenge on the people of Leuven. The occupiers went on a rampage between the 25th and 30th of August, setting fire to various buildings, totally destroying the 500-year-old Catholic University library and burning the roof of Saint Peter’s Church. They also destroyed the city theater. Over 200 townspeople were killed, many rounded up as “franc-tiereurs” (snipers, i.e., terrorists) and shot. All but a few were innocent, many unlucky enough to be caught with hunting rifles in their houses.

This was considered the first war crime of WWI. These photos from Carl Guderian were taken by an unknown photographer that show street scenes of Louvain/Leuven after the Germans torched it in 1914.