At this location you have a beautiful view of the Scheldt bend. This location is also located on a public car park, on the outskirts of Dendermonde. An ideal location to discover the spacious surroundings of Dender and Scheldt, while walking or pedaling. Picnic area is inviting to relax for a while.
Fragment from 'Walking in Scheldeland – 100 Years of the Great War'. Dendermonde – a ruin on the Scheldt and Dender.
“Battle for the Ferry Bridge Here on De Schelde, at the end of the Veerstraat, at the start of the First World War, the Veerbrug is located, over which pedestrians, carts and trains pass, in the direction of Waasland, on the Left Bank of the Scheldt. The entire Belgian army is in Antwerp in 1914 and the left bank has therefore become of capital importance. The passage from the coast to Antwerp must be preserved for the supply of the troops. This passage is also important for the Belgian army to leave Antwerp, if the city were to be taken. By crossing the Scheldt, the German army can encircle Antwerp. The action is therefore not long in coming. During the first German offensive on 4 and 5 September, the Veerbrug in Dendermonde was quickly captured by the German army. But on September 9, the Marne Offensive starts in northern France and the Germans withdraw their troops from Dendermonde to deploy them in France, with the idea of winning this battle quickly and immediately after the arson attack De Veerstraat 45 also enter Antwerp. take. That same day the Belgian army strikes back, with its second sortie from Antwerp. Dendermonde again falls into Belgian hands.
But the Veerbrug is indispensable for the German advance. New troops are sent to Dendermonde. The bridge must be recaptured. A fierce battle begins. In the night of 1 to 2 October, the Belgian engineer finally detonated the bridge. It is an ultimate attempt to hold off the German crossing of the Scheldt. A week later, in the night of 7 to 8 October, the German troops manage to cross the Scheldt in Schoonaarde, a few kilometers upstream. The Belgian troops at the Veerbrug have no choice but to abandon their positions: Dendermonde falls definitively into German hands. The Veerbrug got a temporary wooden emergency bridge as a neighbor at the end of 1914 - early 1915. In 1950 it is replaced by a new metal bridge. It's only been in service for 30 years. Today all traffic goes over the Scheldt Bridge on Martelarenlaan.
Translated by Google •
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