Fort van Kessel, Military fortress in Kessel, Belgium

Fort van Kessel is a concrete fortification with a trapezoidal shape, surrounded by wide water-filled moats, and featuring underground chambers below ground level. A network of passages and galleries connects these rooms and tunnels throughout the structure.

Fort van Kessel was built between 1909 and 1912 as part of the Hoofdweerstandstelling, the outer defence ring around Antwerp approved by the law of 30 March 1906. It was armed only from 1913. On 4 October 1914 German 42 cm and 30.5 cm howitzers fired 123 shells at it; three vaults, a corridor and a 15 cm cupola collapsed at 11.00 and the garrison of about 330 men under Captain Piraux abandoned the fort.

The fort reflects how Belgium viewed national defense before World War I. Walking through it, you see how the country prepared itself militarily and the scale of effort needed to protect its borders.

You can explore the fort during the warmer months, and guided tours are necessary to see the inner structures properly. It helps to book ahead and wear comfortable shoes since you will walk quite a bit inside.

In the winter of 2008-2009, 378 bats of eight species were counted hibernating in the fort. The most numerous were Geoffroy's bat, the Daubenton's bat and Brandt's bat. The fort now serves mainly as their winter shelter.