YPRES, or YPEREN, a t. of Belgium, formerly fortified, in the province of West Flanders, is situated in a fertile plain on both sides of the Yperlee, about 29 m. s.s.w of Bruges (53 by railway). The marshes around the town at one time rendered it very unhealthy, but considerable improvement has been effected in this respect by drainage. Ypres was at one time one of the most important manufacturing towns in Flanders, tha number of inhabitants in the 14th c. being 200,000, and the number of looms 4,000. Its staple manufacture consisted of the cloth called, according to some, after the name of the town, diaper. The only remnant of its once flourishing manufacture is the Cloth hall (les 114lles), standing in the great market-place, a building of prodigious size, in the form of a trapezium, in a rich style of Gothic architecture, and surmounted by a stately square tower or belfry, with a clock and chimes. It was begun in 1230, and continued till 1342; the e. end, supported on pillars, being added in 1730. One of the wings is
now used as the hotel-de-ville, and other parts are occupied by different public estab lishments and concert-rooms. The cathedral of St. Martin is a fine Gothic edifice, with an altar of Carrara marble, a richly carved pulpit, and a picture doubtfully attrib uted to Van Evck. Other buildings are the churches of St. Peter, St. James, and St. Nicolas, the old castle-ward, two colleges, several hospitals, barracks, numerous board ing and day schools, etc. The chief modern manufactures are thread, lace, linens, woolens, cottons, silk, ribbons, leather, oil, soap, tobacco. There are many tanneries, oil-mills, salt-works, dye-works, breweries. The town is connected with the Yser by canal, and is a station on the West Flanders railway. Pop. '76, 15,515.
Ypres is a very old town, its origin dating from the Otis and 10th centuries. In 16S8 it was strongly fortified by Louis XIV., and iu the great European wars was fre quently subject to sieges.