How the Medieval Tower ended up in the center of the modern port and Why it became a silent reproach to people

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

In the center of the Belgian port of Antwerp, surrounded by faceless blocks of shipping containers, on a small island of greenery, stands an old church tower. She looks like some strange guest from the past, like a crazy mirage. This tower, which is several centuries old, stands in the middle of the ultra-modern port, just like an eyesore. The most interesting thing is that this ancient structure is all that remains of the village that stood on this place. It was destroyed to the ground in the sixties of the last century. Who did it and why, and why did the medieval church tower remain in its place, like a mute reproach?

The first mentions of Wilmarsdonk date back to 1155. During the early Middle Ages, it was simply a vast landholding that belonged to the Abbey of St. Michael. A little later on this place, a little north of Antwerp, a polder village grew up. A polder is a reclaimed and cultivated piece of land located in the lowlands.

Previously, the settlement suffered greatly from floods. Now, numerous locks and dams reliably protect the region. The vast area called Flanders is extremely agriculturally fertile. Also, this area is very densely populated.

Antwerp has a port since at least the 12th century. The port began to grow under Napoleon Bonaparte, starting in 1811, when the very first lock was built. Behind it, rather quickly, the second and third locks were built. They kept the tides in place, preventing heavy rolling on ships and boats. During the Middle Ages, this greatly complicated the processes of unloading and loading goods.

In the middle of the 19th century, the ports of Antwerp and Cologne were connected by the construction of railways between them. This gave a powerful impetus to the development of economic relations between Germany and Belgium. After the construction of the Kattendijk dock in 1859, the port began to develop rapidly. By the end of the 19th century, eight brand new docks were added, and the number of export cargo increased almost sevenfold! The construction of the extremely important railway line along the Rhine to the Ruhr was then completed. Thanks to this, communication with the remote hinterlands of Germany has increased. The cargo that was now handled in the port of Antwerp has grown enormously in volume. The world was witnessing the second round of the industrial revolution. The latest shipping technologies have made it possible to connect with Asia and Africa.

Meanwhile, the port continued its rapid development. Its size, throughput and volume were already striking in their scale. The world has entered a crazy 20th century. The breakneck pace of production allowed for the expansion of berths, the construction of new docks and the addition of more locks. By 1929, the port of Antwerp occupied a huge area of 300 hectares. Its berths had a length of almost four dozen kilometers, and the amount of cargo handled totaled more than 26 million tons.

In the middle of the 20th century, an incredibly large-scale program was launched by the Belgian government. It envisaged the implementation of a series of highly ambitious projects that were supposed to expand the port and modernize its existing facilities. As part of this program, huge industrial complexes and new, more spacious docks were built. As the port grew, it absorbed all nearby villages on the banks of the Scheldt River. The village of Lillo was the first to suffer. Now, where this provincial town once was, only a military fort of the 16th century remains. It was built by Wilhelm the Silent and served as a defense for Antwerp. This village, sandwiched between the Scheldt and the petrochemical complexes, the settlement, remained to live about forty residents. They even have their own mini harbor.

The needs of the modern world have forced the destruction of the villages of Oorderen and Osterville. All that remained of Osterville was the old parish church. Oorderen disappeared completely. Of the entire town, only one barn has survived. It was transferred to the Bokreik Folklore Museum. It is located a hundred kilometers from here, in the open air. Wilmarsdonk was the latest obstacle to the development of the Antwerp cargo port. The village was wiped off the face of the earth in order to expand it. The church tower was preserved, as it was a very ancient and very valuable building in terms of architectural heritage.

It is incredibly impressive that a medieval cultural relic has been preserved in the center of one of the largest and busiest ports in Europe. The tower of the Church of St. Lawrence, in the heart of the harbor, has become the island that connects the glorious past and the brilliant future. In addition, the cultural monument has managed to become a powerful symbol of the incredible progress that is characteristic of this famous Belgian port.

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