At the outbreak of the war, construction works were still carried out around the fortress, initially by civilians, later by the troops. To have clear sight, all the houses in a radius of more than one km had to be burned down. The nearby village of Liezele, parts of Heide, Kimpelberg and Essendries were destroyed by the Belgian Army. Other construction works included the installation of the missing concrete rings at the turrets or the turrets were camouflaged with sand- and concrete bags.

During September 1914, the Fort was attacked by the Germans with only Light Artillery pieces, so no much damage was done. Between Liezele and the next fortress of Breendonk, was the stronghold (redoubt) of Letterheide. Letterheide was abonded by it's troops on October 7^th, but occupied again with garrison troops of Breendonk and Liezele.

In the evening of October 8, the Germans attacked the redoubt, but were driven off by the fire of the 15 cm turret and the traditore battery of the fort.

The German breakthrough in the sector Walem-Lier and the retreat of the Belgian army isolated the forts of the 4th sector, including Fort Liezele. The Fort was surrendered by it's commander Fiévez on October 10^th, because the Germans threatened to bombard the city of Antwerp

Today, the fort is in very good condition and many rooms are restored, including interior, showing the use of the Fort in 1914, 1940 or in the 50s. A number of pictures, taken in the Fort of Liezele during June 1999 can be seen below.

1914 hospital room and view of the roof in the middle of the fort. Note that earth was covering the surface before 1914.

View of a 1914 Belgian Trench, rebuild in the fortress and an observation tower.

During the First World War the Germans occupied the Fort of Liezele. The picture below shows one of the concrete bunkers found near the fort. These were built in 1917 behind the fort, and were part of a German defensive line around Antwerp. At the end of the war, the turrets were destroyed.

In the Fort of Liezele, a small museum can be visited, displaying many artifacts, mainly of 1914. The museum and the fortress is a well worth visit when traveling around Europe's First World War battlefields. The Fort has it's own web-site, which you can visit at : http://users.pandora.be/bart.van.bulck

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Antwerp Fortress construction