Fort Breendonk

**Built to protect Antwerp, it fell to Nazi Germany in the 1940s and became a prison camp. Learn the tragic history of this camp to ensure its victims are never forgotten. **

Fort Breendonk became a prison camp after the Belgian surrender in 1940. Things then took a turn for the worst. From September 1940 - 1944 about 3500 prisoners were held in this prison. It mostly held political prisoners like resistance fighters, protestors, and hostages. A full visit of the fort will take you about 120 minutes and you have to reserve ahead of time. This is an emotionally moving experience that is unmissable to get the full history of Belgium.

Note that a prison camp is not quite the same as a concentration camp. Still, prisoners here were kept in awful conditions that violated human rights and forced into labour. Political prisoners fought against the Nazis. You’ll find inspirational real stories of their fight and their heroic acts.

• Be prepared as on the tour you will also see the torture room, sure to give you a shiver sadly
• Pay your respects in the ash room. The ashes of all who died at the camp are kept here. Their names are written on the walls
• Don’t miss the art by some of the prisoners such as Jacques OCHS who made charcoal drawings of the prisoners while he was in the camp
• The Austrian writer Jean Améry was captured in 1943 as a resistance fighter and held here for months. When the Gestapo (Nazi secret police) found out he was Jewish, they sent him to Auschwitz
• You’ll be given an audio guide as you go in. The audio guide is very detailed and highly recommended rather than wandering and reading the displays as you will not get as much info this way.
• Based on feedback from parents, we recommend this place for older kids/teens. Fort Breendonk will teach them about Nazi occupation of Belgium in a way the history books can’t.
• Taking younger kids isn’t recommended as the audio tour is very detailed in what the prisoners went through. Without the audio tour they won’t get a lot of info on what happened, so the experience won’t be as good for them. Best to wait ‘til they’re older!