Schans van Schilde

En un regard

Le château en bref

The Schans van Schilde, or Schilde redoubt, is a defensive work of the Fortified Position of Antwerp (Stelling van Antwerpen), built between 1909 and 1912 on the right bank of the Scheldt, between the Schoten and 's-Gravenwezel forts. Constructed of brick and unreinforced concrete on an oval islet surrounded by a 15-metre-wide water-filled moat, it covers over two hectares and was concealed beneath a cover of earth and woodland. Its concrete was designed to withstand 21 cm shells before being strengthened against 28 cm ones; the flanking armament comprised two pairs of 12 cm howitzers and two pairs of 7.5 cm guns on plate mountings. During the First World War, the redoubt fired on the German army; on 9 October 1914, during the retreat of the Belgian army, it was blown up so that it would not serve the enemy. Unused since then, it received in the interwar period two flanking bunkers, two machine-gun shelters and an anti-tank ditch. The wooded site is today frequented by walkers and cyclists and is designated as a bat refuge.