When Belgium broke away from the Netherlands during the Belgian Revolt (1830-1839), the young state felt threatened by the Netherlands, and an army had to be set up and trained in a hurry, for which the help of French instructors was called in. Initially, camps were set up in Diest, Zonhoven, Bouwel and Schilde, but these were not sufficient. Eventually, an area was chosen where there was plenty of space available, and that was not too far from the Dutch border. This eventually became the heathland north of Beverlo. In 1835, work began on setting up the training ground. Thatched huts and tents for the soldiers, pavilions for the generals and a small palace for the king. As early as August of that year, the first 20,000 soldiers arrived to train there. In November 1837, the primitive camp was largely destroyed by a hurricane, and then nine squares were built: barracks of 90 by 90 meters, with a water well in the middle. Wood and clay were the main building materials. Although peace was concluded with the Netherlands in 1839 in the Treaty of London, it was decided in 1845 that the Beverlo Camp would become permanent. The Royal Park (40 ha) was laid out, and in 1848 a modern military hospital was set up for that time. In 1850, the definitive expansion of the camp began. All kinds of facilities were built to supply the 40,000 soldiers and the 4,000 horses that were present at the same time. A narrow-gauge railway of 115 km in length was also built across the site. The citizens who worked at the Beverlo Camp had to settle in a planned city, Bourg-Léopold, since 1932 called Leopoldsburg, from 1842 onwards. In 1878 the Leopoldsburg station opened. In 1857 the (dead-end) Canal to Beverlo was completed, which actually led to Leopoldsburg. The camp was expanded further and in 1913, on the eve of the First World War, the camp was being electrified. In August 1914 the soldiers of the camp went into battle against the German invaders. The protest song that would become known as the Beverlo Song originates from this episode. Many lost their lives. On 16 October 1914 the front reached the Yser and got stuck there. The Germans occupied the camp and modernised it further, as they thought they could stay there permanently. They also conducted experiments with chlorine gas, which would later be used as a war gas on the Yser Front. During the interbellum, many regiments came to practice, which arrived by day march from all cities in Belgium. When such a regiment arrived, the entire city was in an uproar. The exercises lasted five weeks. On 10 May 1940, the German invaders bombed several parts of the camp, and took possession of it shortly afterwards. From 1942 to 1943, 204 people, including 176 resistance fighters, were shot. On 12 May 1944, the Allies bombed the camp. By mistake, however, the Zuidstraat in Beverlo was bombed, killing 77 civilians. On 28 May 1944, the Allies bombed the camp again, and this time effectively: hundreds of German soldiers were killed. The camp was very badly damaged. After the liberation, the collaborators, called "incivieken" or "blacks", had to clear the rubble. The reconstruction of the camp took place from 1947-1953. Five sections, each consisting of 600 to 800 men, were reorganized.
Translated by Google •
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