User Guide
Everything you need to know about using Then & Now.
1. What is Then & Now?
Then & Now is an interactive map of the Battle of the Bulge (December 1944 – January 1945) in the Ardennes region of Belgium and Luxembourg. For each location, you can compare a historical wartime photograph with a photo taken from the exact same spot today — side by side.
The site is designed both for armchair historians and for visitors who want to follow in the footsteps of the soldiers and plan an on-site tour of the battlefield.
2. Navigating the map
Moving around
Drag the map to pan. Use the scroll wheel (desktop) or pinch gesture (mobile) to zoom in and out. The + / − buttons in the top-right corner also control the zoom level.
City search
Type a town or village name in the search box in the top-left corner to fly directly to that location. Results are limited to Belgium and Luxembourg.
Locate me
The ◎ button on the right side of the map centres the map on your current GPS position and places a blue dot on your location. Click it a second time (⊡) to zoom back out and fit all photos in view.
Photo clusters
When many photos are close together, they are grouped into a numbered cluster bubble. Click a cluster to zoom in and expand it into individual photo markers.
3. Viewing photos
Opening a photo
Click any photo marker on the map to open the comparison panel. The panel shows the historical Then photo on the left and the contemporary Now photo on the right.
Side-by-side slider
Drag the vertical divider between the two photos left or right to reveal more of either image. This makes it easy to compare exactly what has changed at each location.
Photo information
Below the photos you will find details about the location: the battle, the unit involved, the date the historical photo was taken, and any relevant notes.
Downloading & sharing
The Download button saves a merged THEN/NOW composite image to your device. The composite includes a QR code that links back to this location on the site, making it easy to share with others.
Street View
The Street View button opens Google Street View at the photo location in a new tab, so you can explore the surroundings virtually before visiting in person.
Sharing a link
The URL in your browser automatically updates when a photo is open (e.g.
?photo=abc123). Copy and paste the URL to share a direct link to any
specific photo with someone else.
4. Free vs. paid access
| Feature | Free | Paid (€4.99) |
|---|---|---|
| Browse the map | ✓ | ✓ |
| View & compare all photos | ✓ | ✓ |
| Download THEN/NOW composites | ✓ | ✓ |
| Approximate location (±3 km circle) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Exact GPS coordinates | — | ✓ |
| Precise photo markers on the map | — | ✓ |
| To Do & Visited lists | — | ✓ |
| Trip planner & route calculation | — | ✓ |
| GPX export for GPS devices | — | ✓ |
Unlocking paid access
Click the "Unlock All Exact Locations" button in the top-right corner of the site. You will be prompted to create a free account and complete a one-time payment of €4.99. Access is granted immediately after payment and is linked to your account — sign in on any device to use it.
Free preview locations
A small number of locations are available as a free preview with exact GPS coordinates, so you can try the experience before purchasing.
5. To Do & Visited lists
Paid users can maintain a personal To Do list of places they want to visit, and a Visited list of places they have already been.
Adding & removing photos
Open any photo and use the buttons at the bottom of the comparison panel:
- 📍 To Do — adds the location to your To Do list. Click again (📌) to remove it.
- ☑ Visited — marks the location as visited. Click again (✅) to remove it.
Each list holds up to 25 locations.
Map indicators
Once you have items in your lists, photo markers on the map change appearance:
- A gold glow around a marker means it is in your To Do list.
- A green glow and ✓ badge means it is in your Visited list.
Filtering the map by list
Use the filter bar near the bottom of the map to show only certain markers:
- All — show every location.
- 📍 To Do — show only your To Do locations.
- ✅ Visited — show only your Visited locations.
- ❓ Not Visited — show locations not yet in your Visited list.
6. Trip planner
The trip planner helps you organise your To Do list into an efficient driving route. Open it with the 🗺 button on the right side of the map.
Managing the list
- All locations currently in your To Do list are shown here.
- Click the ⠿ grip handle on the left of any item and drag it up or down to change the order.
- Click a photo thumbnail or its title to open that photo's comparison panel.
- Click ✕ to remove a location from the list.
Calculating a route
Click 🗺 Plan route (requires at least 2 locations). The planner calculates the most efficient driving route through all your stops and draws it as a gold dashed line on the map. The total driving distance and estimated time are shown below the button.
If you allow the site to access your location, the route will start from where you are now. Otherwise it starts from the first stop in your list.
Custom order vs. optimised route
You can drag items to set a preferred order before planning. Note that the route calculation uses an optimisation algorithm (OSRM) that may reorder stops for efficiency — the map line reflects the optimised order, while your list order is preserved for the navigation links.
Closing the planner on mobile
Tap the ✕ button, tap the drag pill at the top, or swipe the panel downwards to close it.