On 11 July 1708 Oudenaarde was the battlefield for the major European powers.  The confrontation meant the definite end of the power of the French Sun King.  The town of Oudenaarde and the Ename Center for Public Archaeology and Heritage Presentation cooperated to mark this important event with a re-enactment (further information on this site) and two exhibitions to bring the Battle of Oudenaarde to life again.

The 11th of  July is not only the anniversary of the Battle of the Spurs (Kortrijk 1302, and also the Flemish National Day). 300 years ago the Battle of Oudenaarde was fought on the very same day.  Because the Spanish king had died without an heir to the throne, a major power struggle started in Europe  known as the War of the Spanish Succession.  France and its allies confronted the equally impressive armies of the Allies, commanded by the English.  About 180,000 soldiers fought the Battle of Oudenaarde on 11 July 1708.

To commemorate 300 years Battle of Oudenaarde the Ename Center for Public Archaeology and Heritage Presentation helped to set up two topical exhibitions: “A city, a king, a general” and “Beautiful people”.  The center provided the conceptual contents and was also responsible for requesting and processing the loans.

The centrepiece of the exhibition is the scale-model of Oudenaarde, made in 1747 and based on the plans of the famous military engineer Vauban.  This scale-model, which measures 5.45 by 4.16 m,  is the property of the Hôtel des Invalides in Paris.  The town of Oudenaarde was allowed to borrow this showpiece for this one time.  A singular event, moreover, as  the scale-model had never left France before.  There are also unique pieces from the private collections of the prince de Ligne, among them the two pistols that that once belonged to the duke of Marlborough.  The duke of Bucclough loaned, for the first time, the ‘sword of Oudenaarde’, a weapon made for the ancestor of the British prime minister Winston Churchill.  A digital projection guides you through the developing battle.

“Beautiful People” in House de Lalaing immerses you in the living culture of the 18th-century.  The salons have been transformed into elegant living rooms: a dining-room, a smoking salon, a coffee and tea corner, a boudoir and a nursery bring the visitor back to the past.  Towering, artificial wigs and elegant dresses lead you to the room of beauty.  In the nursery you experience the world through the eyes of an 18th-century child.

More information on www.oudenaarde1708.be