Fortification in suburb of Antwerp

Surly since 16th century, City of Antwerp, Antwerpen in Dutch and Anvers in French, has long been bestowed the fame of “Metropole of Trading in Europe“. It is still the leading port in Europe, where tens of thousands of trucks converge and diverge every week days.

When Kingdom of Belgium was founded in 1830 after years of conflict between surrounding big countries (UK, France, Germany),it was strategically logical to give premier military priority to the port city rather than its capital Brussels. The city was positioned as the last stronghold in case of warfare in the country’s soil, so that on the doomsday the royal family can flee by sea (to UK or elsewhere).

Today, we can still see the residue of this strategy at National Redoubt, defensive belt of fortification surrounding Antwerp. Many of them are well preserved as national memorial monuments.