Breendonk: Difference between revisions

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Breendonk is a small town in Belgium, population 3000, halfway between Brussels and Antwerp. Its name stems from the medieval 'Bredene Dunc': Large Dune (A dry spot in the marshes). During the 19th century it was known for its beautiful 'Neo-Gothic' church and the lavish mansion of the earl 'de buisseret'. Both were destroyed by the Belgian army at the start of WW I because they obstructed the gunner's viewfield from the fortification (See hereafter).

From the 20th century on It is most known for its fortification, built in 1906. It was judged that Antwerp,being Europe's secondly-important port-town, needed two circles of fortifications for its defence. Breendonk's fortification was part of the outer defence-circle of Antwerp. It was built on exactly the same spot where once stood a Roman fortification, the reason being that it was the only place with a clean-water source in what was marshlands until the 1700's. It fell after a German siege of only seven days.

During World War II it was used - for a brief period only - as the general H.Q. of King Leopold III, leading the Belgian armed forces. After his surrender to the Germans it was transformed by the Nazi into a concentration camp, mainly as a transition before transport to Auschwitz. It also gained a grim reputation as a place of torture and interrogation of prisoners of all kinds.

Breendonk is now most famous for its brewery where one of Belgiums many special-taste strong-beers, called Duvel (Devil in local lingo), is produced. The brewery, it is said, depends on that very same source once used by the Romans and in the fortification, but this needs confirmation.

Much to the regret of the locals the village of Breendonk was merged in 1977 into the commune of Puurs; and the fort and surrounding area east of the A12 road became part of the commune of Willebroek.

The fort is now hosting the "Breendonk Fort National Memorial" as historical record of the Nazi terror in Belgium

External link

(nl),(en),(fr),(de) Web site of the Breendonk Memorial

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 The brewery, it is said, depends on that very same source once used by the Romans and in the fortification, but this needs confirmation.
-The village of Breendonk was merged in 1977 into the commune of [[Puurs]]; the fort and surrounding area east of the A12 road however became part of the commune of [[Willebroek]].
+Much to the regret of the locals the village of Breendonk was merged in 1977 into the commune of [[Puurs]]; and the fort and surrounding area east of the A12 road became part of the commune of [[Willebroek]].
 The fort is now hosting the "Breendonk Fort National Memorial" as historical record of the Nazi terror in [[Belgium]]