"And (is noted) for the 'Battle of the Dunes' in 1600."
That is where the printer falls down. I was there during the Battle of the Dunes. The nine is upside down in the date as given.
I wouldn't object so much if he were careless with facts that were harmless, like his hotels and his dinner and his dates. But when he gives bad advice that would lead people into trouble, I think he ought to be jacked up. Listen to this:
"We may turn to the left to inspect the locks on the canals to Ostend."
Baedeker's proposal here means sure death to the reader who tries it. That section is lined with machine guns. If a man began turning and inspecting, he would be shot. Baedeker's statement is too casual. It sounds like a suggestion for a leisurely walk. It isn't a sufficient warning against doing something which shortens life. The word "inspect" is unfortunate. It gives the reader the idea he is invited to nose around those locks, when he had really better quiet down and keep away. The sentries don't want him there. I should have written that sentence differently. His kind of unconsidered advice leads to a lot of sadness.
"The Rue Longue contains a few quaint old houses."
It doesn't contain any houses at all. There are some heaps of scorched rubble. "Quaint" is word painting.
"On the south side of this square rises the dignified Cloth Hall."
There is nothing dignified about a shattered, burned, tottering old building. Why will he use these literary words?
"With a lately restored belfry."