Woesten

Woesten is a small rural village in the municipality of Vleteren, West Flanders, on the road between Ypres and Veurne and close to Poperinge.

The village centres on the Sint-Rictrudiskerk, a 15th-century church that was destroyed during the First World War and rebuilt in the early 1920s. The churchyard also contains a small group of French military graves, a reminder of the war’s impact on even the quieter villages of the Westhoek.

Woesten also has a modest brewing history. Before the First World War, a brewery stood beside the market square; it was destroyed during the conflict and later rebuilt elsewhere in the village. Today, Woesten is best known to beer visitors as the home of Brouwerij Deca.