Name: Fort Sint Marie
Rating: 2

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Belgium

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Zwijndrecht

Fort Sint Marie

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Belgium

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Antwerp

Zwijndrecht

Fort Sint Marie

Recommended by 4 hikers

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Location: Zwijndrecht, Antwerp, Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium

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Best Hikes to Fort Sint Marie

4.3

(21)

145

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1. Melkader – Melkader Bridge loop from Kallo

10.8km

02:44

20m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

4.4

(15)

134

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2. Melkader Bridge – Melkader loop from Kallo

15.9km

04:01

30m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

3.7

(7)

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3. Melkader Bridge – Melkader loop from Kallo

8.27km

02:06

20m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

Tips

🇧🇪 Herwig Aertbeliën

February 18, 2023

Fort Sint-Marie is one of the oldest forts around Antwerp, built from 1584 on behalf of Spanish general Alessandro Farnese to defend the Scheldt together with Fort Sint-Philips and to protect a floating raft bridge over the Scheldt.

The name of the fort is attributed to the grandson of Emperor Charles V. The first name was: “Sint-Mariaschans”. It is said that Farnese gave this name out of veneration for Mary. His deceased wife was also called Maria. On the right bank of the Scheldt, Farnese had the Sint-Philipsschans built, named after his uncle, King Philip II of Spain. For environmental reasons, the remains of the Fort Sint-Philips lie in a sarcophagus, at the current Total oil refinery.

In 1865 a new fort was built as part of Henri Alexis Brialmont's Great Walls and between 1881 and 1882 the fort was equipped with the only torpedo installation in Belgium. Unfortunately, the fortress cannot be visited.

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🇧🇪 Herwig Aertbeliën

February 16, 2023

Fort Sint-Marie was founded in 1584 by order of the Spanish general and governor Alessandro Farnese. Together with Fort Sint-Filips, it was part of the raft bridge over the Scheldt. Bridgeheads in the Scheldt were built from both forts. After the demolition of the bridge in 1585, Fort Sint-Marie remained. The fortresses of Sint-Marie and Sint-Philips were part of the Staats-Spanish lines.

After 1865, a new fortress was built that was part of the Great Walls of Captain Henri Alexis Brialmont. The fort was originally a polygonal fortress island with four bastioned and two waisted fronts with a casemated coastal battery, an armored coastal battery and an underwater battery.

In the middle of the fort island is a circular fort island that was constructed later. The barracks on the fortress island date from the 19th and 20th centuries.

In 1870-1882 a new Verchanst Camp Linkeroever was set up, of which Fort Sint-Marie was also part. The Defensive Dike was constructed between Fort Sint-Marie and the new Fort Zwijndrecht, as a flood defense for the inundation area in the Melselepolder.

The fort was equipped with the only torpedo installation in Belgium, built between 1881 and 1882. This installation could fire torpedoes both towards the Netherlands and towards Antwerp.

Since 1961, the fort has been a base of the Belgian navy. The fort also houses the secondary school for shipping KTA Zwijndrecht – Cenflumarin, which also uses the marina. For this school, pavilions have been built around the pond.

More info at fortenbanden.be/pagina/individuele-historie#fortsintmarie

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Sonny Samyn

November 10, 2024

You no longer see an effective fort, but you can still see the water wells

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Elevation 40 m

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Tuesday 23 September

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Max wind speed: 7.0 km/h

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Location: Zwijndrecht, Antwerp, Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium

Fort Sint Marie

1. Melkader – Melkader Bridge loop from Kallo

2. Melkader Bridge – Melkader loop from Kallo

3. Melkader Bridge – Melkader loop from Kallo

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