Fort Breendonk is a fortification built in 1906 as part of the second ring of defenses of the Réduit national around the city of Antwerp, Belgium. Originally one in a chain of fortresses constructed to defend Belgium against a German attack, Breendonk was near the town of the same name, about 12 miles southwest of Antwerp. It was covered by a five metre thick layer of soil for defense against bombings, a water-filled moat and measured 656 by 984 feet. The fort was used as a prison camp by the German occupiers during World War II. Today, the site is a national memorial (Nationaal Gedenkteken Fort van Breendonk in Dutch) and can be visited.
Read more about Fort Breendonk: World War I, World War II, Gallery, Breendonk II, Present Memorial
Famous quotes containing the word fort:
“Across Parker Avenue from the fort is the Site of the Old Gallows, where 83 men “stood on nothin’, a-lookin’ up a rope.” The platform had a trap wide enought to “accommodate” 12 men, but half that number was the highest ever reached. On two occasions six miscreants were executed. There were several groups of five, some quartets and trios.”
—Administration in the State of Arka, U.S. public relief program. Arkansas: A Guide to the State (The WPA Guide to Arkansas)