Sint-Annabos, Nature area in Antwerp, Belgium.
Sint-Annabos is a nature area in Antwerp with dense forest and open meadows near the Scheldt River. The terrain comprises interconnected woodland sections with natural clearings spread throughout the site.
From June 1945 to April 1946 the site of today's Sint-Annabos held Camp Top Hat, a repatriation camp for American soldiers returning to the United States. It could house 16,500 men, and more than 270,000 passed through for stays of days to weeks. The forest was planted in 1952, after the camp was dismantled.
The forest is planted mainly with Canadian poplars, with an undergrowth of elderberry; its northern part is a nature reserve and its southern part a play forest. The name refers to Saint Anne, though the sources do not explain the dedication. The Charles De Costerlaan, which separated the wood from the Middenvijvers, was closed in May 2023 and softened in September 2024, replaced by a cycle and walking boulevard.
The forest lies on the left bank of the Scheldt between the residential area and Blokkersdijk, with the northern part managed as a nature reserve and the southern part as a play forest. The Charles De Costerlaan, which separated it from the Middenvijvers, was closed in May 2023 and softened in September 2024, replaced by a cycle and walking boulevard. Soil tests in 2021 found PFOS above the remediation standard, from the nearby 3M plant.
The forest was planted in 1952 on the site of Camp Top Hat, a repatriation camp where more than 270,000 American soldiers passed between June 1945 and April 1946 before sailing home. The camp could hold 16,500 men at a time.
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