Fort 2: A Brialmont Ring Fort in Wommelgem, Belgium

Site at a Glance

Rating: 4.3
Popularity: Medium
Country: Belgium
Primary era: Modern
External website: Open

Eras represented: Modern
Civilizations: Belgian
Site type: Military
Remains: Fort

On this page6 sections

History

Fort 2 is a 19th-century fort in Wommelgem, Belgium, built between 1860 and 1864 as part of the Brialmont ring around Antwerp. This defensive network was designed under the direction of Henri Alexis Brialmont, a Belgian military engineer known for planning Antwerp’s modern fortifications.

Construction and military use

Fort 2 was constructed in brick, with natural stone used for architectural details. Its design adapted the plan of Fort 3 at Borsbeek, another fort in Antwerp’s defensive system. The main-front building carries the monogram of Leopold I, the first King of the Belgians, who reigned from 1831 to 1865.

Fort 2 was also the only fort in the ring for which a gun turret was planned on the reduit, the fortified inner stronghold intended to provide a final defensive position. That turret was never built. After the Second World War, the fort continued in military-related use as a barracks and a workshop for military vehicles.

Later history and present use

The municipality of Wommelgem has owned Fort 2 since 1977. The site is zoned as parkland and is used for sports activities and by local sociocultural associations. Its museums include the Brialmont Museum, Police Museum, Musical Instrument Museum, Saint Eligius Museum, and museums devoted to the First and Second World Wars, with a section on V-weapons, German long-range weapons developed and used during the Second World War. An apiary is also located within the fort.

On 25 March 1996, Fort 2 was protected as a monument, including its historic buildings, ditches, and ramparts. It also forms part of the Natura 2000 habitat area known as “Historic Fort Rings of Antwerp as a Bat Habitat.” Natura 2000 is the European Union network of protected areas created to conserve important habitats and species. The associated area covers 3.585 square kilometres and is managed by the Agency for Nature and Forests, Natuurpunt, and private owners. Approximately 50 bats are counted at Fort 2 each year as they winter there.

Remains

Fort 2 survives as a brick defensive complex with natural stone details, organized around historic buildings, ditches, and ramparts. These elements form the protected physical structure of the fort and reflect its place within the Brialmont ring. The main-front building retains the monogram of Leopold I, while the reduit preserves the design provision for a gun turret that was never constructed.

Buildings and defensive earthworks

The historic buildings remain integrated with the fort’s surrounding ditches and ramparts. Brick forms the principal construction material, with natural stone providing selected details. The buildings now accommodate the site’s museums, including collections concerned with the fortification system, policing, musical instruments, Saint Eligius, and the two World Wars.

Bat habitat

The enclosed historic fort complex also provides wintering habitat for bats. Fort 2 is part of the protected habitat area associated with Antwerp’s historic fort rings, and about 50 bats are counted there annually during the winter.