Fort 8

We start the walk at Fort 8, part of the fortress belt. In 1906 a law was passed to demolish the Antwerp Brialmont wall and build a new large circular fortress: the fortress belt Stabroek, Lier, Haasdonk. The existing fort belt would become the “security wall” of the fortress and be modernized. Fort 8 in Antwerp was not part of the safety wall built in 1907 and was therefore the only one not to be modernized (it was never reinforced with concrete). It is therefore one of the most authentic and best preserved Brialmont fortresses. Ramp 16 and 17 were built instead to reinforce the old fort belt. Sconces are simple small defense points, mainly made of concrete and earth.

We leave the Fort to the right along the fort moat and walk further through a residential area and the Klaverbladdreef to Schans 16 and 17. You can walk freely around Schans 16, however, Schans 17 is completely surrounded by meadows.

We return to the Fort via a short stretch of residential area. We walk first via the fort moat and then further via the sports fields and the green buffer zone from Umicore to park Broydenborg. Then we walk to park Sorghvliedt (with the district house in Sorghvliedt castle).

During the 16th century, this location was home to a farm, called 'Winckeleynde', and an initially small 'court of plaisanterie'. The property was in the possession of the du Bois family from 1660 to 1815, who had the current rococo castle erected between 1745 and 1750 on the 16th-century foundations and cellars after a design by Jan Peter Van Baurscheit de Jonge, who was also responsible for the garden design in the years 1752-1753. The belvedere was founded at the beginning of the 19th century. Here is now located “The Smallest Museum in the World, Admittedly The Longest Name”.

Paved and unpaved.

• Fort 8 Fort 8
• Fort 8 Fort 8
• Fort 8 Fort 8
• Fort 8 Fort 8
• Fort 8 Fort 8
• Fort 8 Fort 8
• Fort 8 Fort 8
• Fort 8 Fort 8
• Fort 8 Fort 8
• Fort 8 Fort 8
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Author: Eric Dengler

Hiking enthusiast