Fort van Duffel
Armoured fort from 1886 of the Antwerp Fortress, with a free exhibition, a walking route, bats and Brasserie De Krone.
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Om museet
Fort van Duffel, also known as the Spoorwegfort (Railway Fort), is part of the ring of forts around Antwerp. After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871, an outer ring of 21 additional forts was planned around the city, covering about 95 kilometres. Antwerp was Belgium's national redoubt, the place where government and army would retreat in wartime. The fort near Duffel was tasked with protecting the railway line between Antwerp and Brussels.
Construction began in 1886 on an earthen fort with a redoubt, a moat and earth ramparts. In 1894 it was converted into an armoured fort with vaults of unreinforced concrete.
Today the fort is managed by Kempens Landschap. The permanent exhibition tells how the fort was built, what functions it had and what happened in wartime, and also highlights the natural value of the estate with its typical plants and animals. Bats hibernate in the underground spaces; on average about forty stay there, and their number is rising. Visitors who wish can also follow a walking route along the outside of the moat, and Brasserie De Krone is located in the former dormitories.
Højdepunkter
- Armoured fort from 1886-1894 of the Antwerp fortress ring
- Free exhibition on construction, functions and wartime history
- Underground passage (April to September) with hibernating bats
- Walking route of about 1.2 km along the moat
- Vossenstreken app and heritage app for children and grandparents
Permanent udstilling
- Permanente tentoonstelling Fort van Duffel – Tells how the Spoorwegfort was built, what role it played in the Antwerp fortress ring and what happened during the war, and highlights the natural values of the estate.
- Ejer
- Kempens Landschap
Entrépriser & rabatter
Der er gratis entré.
| Guided tour (per person, participation in a scheduled tour or private booking) | 3 €For a private tour: at least €30 per group, booked at least two weeks in advance and paid in advance. For a scheduled tour you pay on the spot with exact change. |
|---|
Admission to the exhibition and the estate is free.
Tilgængelighed
- Delvis kørestolsvenlig
- Elevator: ingen oplysninger
- Handicaptoilet: ingen oplysninger
- Handicapparkering: ingen oplysninger
- Servicehunde tilladt: ingen oplysninger
- Taktile tilbud: ingen oplysninger
- Rundvisninger på tegnsprog: ingen oplysninger
- Letlæste tilbud: ingen oplysninger
- Synstolkning: ingen oplysninger
The fort is largely accessible to wheelchair users and people with disabilities; more information is available from Toegankelijk Vlaanderen.
Børn og familie
Velegnet til børn og familier
- Opgavehæfte, skattejagt eller audioguide for børn
The free heritage app “op stap met Achille” is made for children and their grandparents and covers about 500 years of the fort's history through playful tasks. The Vossenstreken app offers routes about soldiers in the First World War, bats (in the summer months only) and the kingfisher.
Transport & parkering
Med offentlig transport
Station Sint-Katelijne-Waver · 1,9 km
Sint-Katelijne-Waver station is 1.9 km away; the stations Duffel, Mechelen and Lier also give access. For the bus, the De Lijn route planner is available.
The fort lies on the provincial cycle node network between nodes 25 and 55, close to the cycle highway between Antwerp and Mechelen, with an exit to the Mechelsebaan.
Planlæg ruteService & spisesteder
- Café
- Restaurant
Brasserie De Krone in the fort's former dormitories; reservations on +32 15 69 98 59.
Arrangementer & udlejning
Museet har ikke offentliggjort oplysninger om dette.
Planlæg dit besøg
| Rundvisninger | ja |
|---|---|
| Godt at vide | Scheduled guided tours take place on the last Sunday of the month (January to November) at 14:00; register in advance via reservatie@gidsenfortduffel.be. There is no fixed guided tour in December. For private tours, email at least two weeks in advance. |
