The old village of Esen has been merged with the town of Diksmuide in 1965, and as most villages and towns in the region, was damaged during the First War. The village is known for ‘The Drama of Esen’. From October 20th, 1914, German soldiers murdered and burned in the center of Esen. On October 24 the Germans confined 522 inhabitants, men, women and children, in the cellars of Costenoble Brewery.They were locked in the cellars for three weeks in inhumane conditions, as the occupiers feared they were spying for the Belgian army.