The Fort of Bornem is the last fortress of the outer belt around Antwerp on the right bank of the Scheldt. It is mainly aimed at the defense of the old Scheldt bridge between Bornem and Temse and the space up to the fortress of Liezele. The fort was designed as an 'armoured fortress' and was constructed of unreinforced concrete, which can withstand heavy artillery fire.
The earthworks started in 1909, but at the outbreak of World War I the fort was anything but finished. In 1914, the army garrison of this fort numbered 200 infantrymen, 130 artillerymen and 20 services? On October 10, 1914, the fort falls and the last Belgian troops in Klein Brabant are forced to surrender here.
(Information board)

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🇧🇪 Herwig Aertbeliën

November 3, 2020

Fort Bornem built in the period between 1908 and 1914. The Fort was actually never finished. Typical of this fort is that it is asymmetrical. This is because Fort Bornem is the last military fortress before the right bank of the Scheldt. The wet settlement canal is a fishing paradise. A bat sanctuary is located in the main front.

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Dominiek Van Dooren

April 2, 2023

In the 1960s, the fort passed from military to private owners who promptly renamed it a fishermen's paradise, a function it still fulfills to this day. The moat in particular was of great importance, which unfortunately affected the fate of the fort itself, which experienced a rapid decline during this period. Overgrowth, seepage of rainwater and blockage of drains have brought it to its current deplorable state.
(Study group Fort Bornem)

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Elevation 50 m

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Take Me There

Location: Bornem, Mechelen, Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium

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