Walem Fort

En un regard

Le château en bref

Walem Fort, in Walem (Mechelen, province of Antwerp), is one of the first two forts of the outer ring of the Antwerp fortified position, alongside Lier Fort, whose funding was released in 1878. It lies about five kilometres from Mechelen, along the Brussels–Antwerp road. A hybrid work, it combines a brick fort with high ramparts, an infantry barracks and unreinforced concrete coverings added around 1890–1892, as well as armoured cupolas. Besieged in 1914, it was forced to raise the white flag on 2 October after a direct hit on the powder magazine caused many casualties; a memorial was erected there in 1930. Adapted into an infantry strongpoint in 1932–1936, occupied and damaged by the Germans in 1944, and used by the Civil Protection after 1950, it has belonged to Natuurpunt since 2009 and houses a large winter colony of bats.