PROGRESS OF RENOVATION WORKS ON WATERLOO's BATTLEFIELD

Last time I had been to the Lion of Waterloo (post here) to have a look on the ongoing renovation works for the 200th anniversary of the battle, several old buildings had been destroyed, but it looks as if there is still a lot of work to be done to be ready for the June 18, 2015.

There had been a lot of discussions about  territory rights between Waterloo and Braine l'Alleud the neighbor city who also claims a part of the site. There were also disagreements between two construction companies.

Now there is even the question to postpone the battle's anniversary and celebrate it a year later in 2016, which would really be a shame only because of the mayors of two little towns ! Of course everybody wants to have a big piece of the cake, tourists will bring a lot of money.

So history or not, if it's not ready they will celebrate not the 200th anniversary but the 201th anniversary. The poor Duke of Wellington will turn in his grave, as he had won the battle, Napoleon maybe doesn't care ... he lost !





Meanwhile there are still lots of tourists who climb the 253 steps up to the Lion and then eat and drink in the "Wellington Café".



On the other side of the Lion it doesn't look very inviting.



The façade of the building which were there in 1815 are preserved and protected with steel not to collapse.



This has once been the Wax Museum and a souvenir shop.



Napoleon's is wrapped in a black plastic bag so he can't see what is going around him.



the new underground museum is protected behind grids with paintings of the battle.



The museum's surface is already mostly finished.



You can walk through this corridor along the underground museum



On the pictures you can see the future entrance into the museum






Fortunately the tourist office is still standing ! Entrance fees and souvenirs have to be sold for the probably rather empty pockets of the site !

And here is a link to how it looked before when I visited the site in 2008.

A video shows you how the new museum will look like here