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.
Filtering the map (free users)
Non-paid users can use the filter bar at the bottom of the map to show All, 🔓 Free (preview locations only), or 🔒 Locked locations.
Filtering the map (paid users)
Paid users see a filter bar to show All locations or only their 📍 To Do locations.
3. Viewing photos
Opening a photo
Click any photo marker on the map to open the comparison panel. The panel displays the historical Then photo and the contemporary Now photo composited side by side — Then on the left (landscape) or top (portrait/mobile), and Now on the right or bottom.
Photo information
Below the comparison image you will find details about the location: the date the historical photo was taken, the battle, the unit involved, and any relevant historical notes (paid users only).
Camera direction badge
When a photo has a known camera direction, a compass badge (e.g. Face NE (42°)) appears in the action bar to help you orient yourself on-site.
Video footage
Some locations have a present-day video alongside the historical photo. When available, a ▶ play button appears over the Now half of the composite. Clicking it switches to a split-screen view with the historical photo on one side and the video playing on the other. Click ← Photo to return to the composite view.
Street View
The 🌐 Street View button (paid users only) replaces the Now side of the comparison panel with an interactive Street View embed, pre-aimed at the correct heading and pitch — so you can compare the historical photo with the street-level view side by side. Click ← Photo to return to the now photo. On locations that have no now photo yet, Street View is shown automatically as a fallback.
Navigate
The Navigate → button opens Google Maps driving directions to the exact photo location. Available for paid users.
Taking a Now photo
Paid users can tap the 📷 Take Now Photo button (or 📷 Retake if one already exists) to open the camera overlay. This overlays the historical photo as a semi-transparent ghost on your live camera feed so you can match the original framing precisely on-site.
Downloading & sharing
The ⬇ button saves a merged THEN/NOW composite image to your device. The composite includes a QR code that links directly back to this location on the site, making it easy to share or print. If a video is playing when you download, the current video frame is used as the Now image.
Zoom to location
The ◎ Map button in the action bar flies the map to the photo's location and zooms in to street level. Useful when you have navigated away from a marker and want to jump straight back to it on the map.
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.
4. Free vs. paid access
| Feature | Free | Paid (€4,99) |
|---|---|---|
| Browse the map | ✓ | ✓ |
| View free preview comparisons | ✓ | ✓ |
| View all THEN/NOW comparisons | — | ✓ |
| Approximate location (±3 km) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Exact GPS coordinates | — | ✓ |
| Precise photo markers on the map | — | ✓ |
| Zoom to location on map | ✓ | ✓ |
| Street View (embedded, pre-aimed) | — | ✓ |
| Navigate to location | — | ✓ |
| Historical notes & descriptions | — | ✓ |
| Camera overlay (take Now photo) | — | ✓ |
| Download THEN/NOW composites | — | ✓ |
| Random photo | — | ✓ |
| To Do list | — | ✓ |
| Trip planner & route calculation | — | ✓ |
| GPX export for GPS devices | — | ✓ |
Unlocking paid access
Click the "☕ Buy Me a Coffee to Unlock All 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. 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 and full comparisons, so you can try the experience before purchasing.
5. To Do list
Paid users can maintain a personal To Do list of places they want to visit on-site.
Adding & removing photos
Open any photo and use the 📍 To Do button at the bottom of the comparison panel to add the location to your list. Click again (📌) to remove it.
Map indicators
Markers for locations in your To Do list get a gold glow on the map so you can spot them at a glance.
Filtering the map by list
Use the filter bar near the bottom of the map to switch between:
- All — show every location.
- 📍 To Do — show only your To Do locations.
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 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.
8. Random photo
Paid users can explore the collection at random — useful for discovering locations you have not come across before.
Opening a random photo
Click the 🎲 button on the right side of the map. A random photo is chosen from the full collection, its comparison panel opens, and the map flies to that location automatically.
Jumping to the next random photo
Once a photo is open, the 🎲 → button in the action bar advances directly to another random photo (always different from the one currently shown) without closing and reopening the panel. The map pans to the new location each time.