A reconstruction of the 'Doodendraad' can be found near the Achelse Kluis. This electric wire barrier was constructed in the summer of 1916 by the Germans and prevented all unwanted traffic between occupied Belgium and the neutral Netherlands.
The Germans already had problems in 1914 with people who wanted to flee from Belgium to the Netherlands. Some wanted to volunteer for the Belgian army, others spied for the inter-allied intelligence services. There were also passionate smugglers who always wanted to cross the border and letter smugglers who brought letters to the Netherlands from where they were sent via Great Britain. In addition, there were citizens who found it unbearable that Belgium was occupied. The Germans intervened and in 1915 an electric wire barrier was constructed south of the municipalities of Hamont and Achel. This left the villages in no man's land. This made this place ideal for smuggling and resistance activities. This was finally put to an end in the summer of 1916.
Various dramas took place here. Historical research shows that 61 fatalities occurred. The most victims occurred in 1917 in particular. Peter van Lent's memoirs state that on March 13, 1917, the soldier Adrian Beckmann was 'beaten to death by an electric wire near our monastery'. He was buried in the cemetery of Achel. Numerous German soldiers also died. Most of these were deserters for whom the flight proved fatal. Another group of refugees consisted mostly of younger war volunteers who wanted to join the Belgian army at the Yser out of patriotism.