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Bunker A33 (Ghent Bridgehead)

Bunker A33 (Ghent Bridgehead)

Highlight • Historical Site

Bunker A33 (Ghent Bridgehead)

Recommended by 30 hikers out of 31

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Location: Oosterzele, Gent, East Flanders, Flanders, Belgium

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Best Hikes to Bunker A33 (Ghent Bridgehead)

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1. Rest bench – Bunker Route Beekvallei loop from Gijzenzele

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2. Bunker A33 (Ghent Bridgehead) – Rest bench loop from Moortsele

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3. Bunker Route Beekvallei – Gondebeek Valley loop from Bottelare

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Tips

DirkWi

September 6, 2023

Belgian bunker, part of the Ghent bridgehead (constructed between 1934 and 1938).
The actual bridgehead was made up of two resistance nests – Betsberg and Muntekouter – and three support points – Semmerzake, Eke and Astene. This bunker was part of the front line of defense and was located just northeast of the Betsberg resistance nest.

It was one of the bunkers that were equipped with a "cloche de guet" (observation clock; literally translated: "lurker's clock") to better observe the enemy through small slits. (see drawing in one of the photos). Messages could be passed from the observation clock to the rooms in the bunker via a pipe system. This allowed for more precise firing.

The bunker was camouflaged as a brick stable. To this end, the bunker was completely walled with brick. The entrance to the gun room was behind two hatches, which had the view of a wooden gate on the outside. Behind these shutters was another double metal gate. The firing openings for the 47mm gun and for the machine gun were behind two hatches, consisting of a galvanized metal plate to which wooden window profiles were glued on the outside. In the embrasures themselves, so-called bricks were applied in camouflage paint, as can still be seen today. Another door was simulated on two other sides. A relatively flat roof with red mechanical roof tiles was placed on top of the bunker, on which stood a bell tower that concealed the observation dome. Plantations on the southwest side served as additional camouflage.

Iron parts were removed in 1941 by order of the German occupiers and bunker openings were bricked up in 1944. The bunker openings were not reopened until 2006.
In the meantime, a metal construction has been built through which you can climb on top of the bunker. There you can get an overview of the area, but you also get an idea of what that observation clock must have looked like.

Sources:
inventaris.onroerenderfgoed.be/erfgoedobjecten/308258
and information board on site

Translated by Google •

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Elevation 100 m

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Location: Oosterzele, Gent, East Flanders, Flanders, Belgium

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Bunker A33 (Ghent Bridgehead)

1. Rest bench – Bunker Route Beekvallei loop from Gijzenzele

2. Bunker A33 (Ghent Bridgehead) – Rest bench loop from Moortsele

3. Bunker Route Beekvallei – Gondebeek Valley loop from Bottelare

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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