Canada Poland War II Museum

The Canada-Poland War II Museum in Adegem, a village within the municipality of Maldegem in East Flanders, is a compact but densely packed museum dedicated to the liberation of the region by Canadian and Polish forces in 1944. It sits at Heulendonk 21, in quiet farmland close to the Leopold Canal, one of the toughest battlegrounds of the Battle of the Scheldt.

Who founded the museum, and why?

The museum officially opened on June 28, 1995, founded by Gilbert Van Landschoot. His father, Maurice, owed his life to the Canadian and Polish soldiers who liberated the area in the autumn of 1944, and the son wanted to honour that debt by building a permanent tribute. What began as a private collection grew over the years into one of the more extensive military exhibitions in this part of Belgium.

What is on display?

The collection includes more than 300 original uniforms alongside period military equipment and weaponry used both by the liberating Canadian and Polish troops and by the German forces that opposed them. Among the pieces on show is an original Bren Carrier troop transport. Scenes from the fighting are recreated through lifelike dioramas, supported by scale models, archival film, and the personal stories of soldiers who lost their lives in the campaign.

Which battle does the exhibition focus on?

The central exhibition, called "Operation Switchback," concentrates on the fierce fighting around the Leopold Canal and the so-called Breskens Pocket, decisive episodes in the liberation of western Zeeuws-Vlaanderen. The operation ran from October 6 to November 3, 1944, and aimed to force a crossing of the canal and clear the area south of the Scheldt as part of the wider Battle of the Scheldt. Between 800 and 900 Canadian soldiers died along the banks of the canal during these weeks, and many are buried at the nearby Canadian war cemetery in Adegem.

What else should visitors know?

Next to the exhibition halls, the museum runs a spacious tearoom decorated with stained-glass windows depicting the coats of arms of the Canadian units that took part in liberating Belgium. This detail captures the museum's character well: a visit here feels personal as well as educational, since the displays keep returning to individual soldiers' stories rather than dry military statistics alone.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the museum located? At Heulendonk 21 in Adegem, a village belonging to the municipality of Maldegem in East Flanders.

When was the museum founded? It officially opened on June 28, 1995, though its roots go back to a private collection assembled by the Van Landschoot family.

Which armies does the exhibition cover? Mainly the Canadian and Polish soldiers who liberated the region in the autumn of 1944, alongside equipment from the opposing German forces.

What was Operation Switchback? A military operation from October and November 1944 in which Allied forces crossed the Leopold Canal and eliminated the Breskens Pocket.

Are there other memorial sites nearby? Yes, the Canadian war cemetery in Adegem is located close to the museum, holding the graves of soldiers who died during these battles.