Ieper is a cat city

It is a well known fact that during the middle ages many cats were sacrificed in Europe.The cats were burnt, beaten to death or simply thrown to their death. Cats were seen as harbingers of evil spirits and familiars of witches.

During the middle ages the Grote Markt in Ieper became overcrowded on Cat Wednesday (the last day of the annual fair). The city jester would throw live cats to their death from the belfry tower. Ieper has observed this cat throwing custom for centuries. The last time live cats were thrown was in 1817. In 1938 the tradition was revived by throwing velvet cats from the tower. From 1946 onwards the cat throwing (stuffed cats only) was introduced by a small parade resulting in the condemnation of the cat on the Grote Markt. The Cat Parade is now a large affair held every 3 years in May. The next parade will be in May of 2009.