THE LEGEND
The town of Ieper owes its prosperity to the cloth trade. During the
Middle Ages, fine cloth, made from English wool, was stored in the
local Cloth Hall to be offered for sale at trade fairs. Since the cloth
was constantly threatened by mice, hungry cats were used to eradicate
the pest. The cats’ new diet meant that the feline species thrived, a
situation which left the town with more cats than mice... In an attempt
to cull them, the people of Ieper took to an even more radical solution.
Consequently, cats have been thrown from the Belfry Tower ever since;
nowadays the tradition continues... fortunately with plush cats...