Watou was relatively safe behind the front in ‘the Free Fatherland’ during the First World War, allowing it to preserve its 18th- and 19th-century heritage intact. Until the 1976 mergers, there was neither money nor ambition to modernise the village, the decision to include the characterful village centre as a protected village site in 1985 was the logical conclusion. In 2014, Watou was awarded the ‘Charming Village’ label along with 14 other villages in the Westhoek because of its exceptional architecture, heritage, location, and couleur locale.