The burning of Louvain

1914 · Event

Spooked by phantom snipers, German troops burn the Belgian university city of Louvain for five days — its medieval library and 300,000 books included — and shoot hundreds of civilians. 'The German atrocities' become the Allies' most powerful recruiting argument, especially across the Atlantic.

On these timelines: The Low Countries, Master, July Crisis & Outbreak of WW1, World War I, Germany

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