Fortress of Liefkenshoek

 

Liefkenshoek is the twin fortress to the Fortress of Lillo. These fortresses are located respectively on the left and right banks of the Scheldt river and were strategically positioned to control the access to Antwerp Harbor.

What is there to see or do?

• Gatehouse - information
• Officers' residence - now a meeting centre, featuring a panoramic air photo of the Antwerp harbour
• Experience centre - 12 rooms providing information on various subjects, such as the fortress' role as a medical centre to screen migrants on their way to the USA. It also provides a few rooms on the history of the Waasland region, particularly its fights against the forces of water. 
• Powder magazine - the oldest building on-site.
• Lookout tower.
• Bunkers from WWI
• Inner rampart dating back to the fortress' 16th century origin
• Outer dike

On-site is a brasserie for a meal, snack or drink.

Visited May 2025 on a beautiful spring day. Liefkenshoek is local tourism and a bit off the beaten track. Visitors are mainly from Flanders and the Netherlands, occasionally from Germany. Panels and information in Dutch.

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ID 54 on the Tourist Map Belgium. Nearby is the Fortress of Lillo, connected by De Waterbus. 

Grote Markt (Antwerpen)

Antwerp’s Grote Markt is undeniably grand, but can we say more about it than beautiful, magical, many details or must-see? Visitor praise might just as easily apply to Brussels’ Grand Place.

So let's compare with Brussels' Grand Place. Both squares are central to city life, settings for events and popular spots for a drink. But Antwerp’s square is more open, less uniform in architectural style, not entirely car-free—and it feels a bit embedded into city life than its Brussels counterpart.

Reviewers list the key sights: the Renaissance-style City Hall, the Brabo Fountain, the rows of guild houses.  Link: https://visit.antwerpen.be/en/grote-markt

This tourist site appears in Nero's comic 'de ring van Balderic' which takes place in Antwerp and shows various other locations (het Steen, the Brabo monument, Lange Wapper, the cathedral, the harbour, ...). Written as a posthumous tribute to Marc Sleen and Nero, the comic has been translated into the Antwerp dialect.

ID #584 on the Belgian tourist map. Within a few hundred meters, the square is surrounded by a host of notable sites.

Bakkersmolen (Essen)

 

The Bakkersmolen 'baker's mill' is a pleasant, surprising, worthwhile, and highly recommended stop when visiting the area of Essen and Kalmthout. What's there:

• The mill, built in 1981. Operates on Sundays
• An adjacent museum of steam machines of various sizes
• A playground and train for children from 36 months
• An artisanal bakery with a museum room on baking techniques
• A brasserie

Visited early May 2025, on a glorious spring day (while the summer season had not yet fully started). Browsing through the mill's 1,000+ reviews on Google Maps is encouraging. Locals use it for a regular outing. The place is also great with kids. Both the brasserie and bakery are appreciated. A visit for all ages, what are you waiting for?

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ID 201 on the Belgian Tourist Map. A visit to the Bakkersmolen can be combined with nearby sites such as the Bee Expo, 'Bijenexpo' - ID 320 or the museum dedicated to comic strip heros Suske en Wiske - ID 465.

Lillo - fortress, museum and former polder village

Lillo is a twin fortress with Liefkenshoek across the Scheldt river. These two fortresses were strategically located to defend Antwerp's harbour entrance. 

What can be seen?

• Significant buildings from the former fortress: casemates, officer houses and the powder magazine. The latter is now a theatre.
• The Polder Museum, open only on Sunday afternoons.
• The nearby White Mill 'the unicorn'.
• Worth mentioning: Lillo is the most northern stop for the waterbus which stops at eight places on its way south to Hemiksem. A day pass can be acquired on-board to visit them all.

Since 2008, Lillo organizes an annual second-hand book sale in summer. The 2025 edition takes place on July 13 and August 10.

The twin fortresses are also part of Antwerp's 'fortress belt', a defence network of over 20 fortifications.

Visited May 2025. This is tourism off the beaten track, suitable for locals, local history enthusiasts or deep explorers of Belgium.

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ID 633 on the Belgian tourist map. See also ID 284 for the Polder Museum. Other nearby sites within easy driving range are the Fortress of Liefkenshoek (ID 54 - reachable through a toll tunnel), the re-emerging village of Doel (ID 468).

See also Jos van Aerde's website about Lillo Fortress, remnant of a former polder village.

Grand Place (Brussels)

The Grand Place in Brussels is the city’s central square, known for its ornate guildhalls, the Town Hall, and the King's House (Maison du Roi). It hosts events such as the Flower Carpet and the Christmas Market. The square has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998.

ID #1 on the Belgian Tourist Map, it is probably the most reviewed Belgian tourist site on Google Maps (150k+ reviews, average rating 4.7 as of December 2024). It confidently features as one of the top sites in Belgium because of its grandeur and surroundings.

The site is amply described elsewhere, e.g. on the official website of the city of Brussels - https://www.brussels.be/grand-place-brussels. 

The name Grand Place is popular in Belgium. Together with "Grote Markt" in Flemish, it applies to dozens of towns. Among these, the "Grote Markt" in Sint-Niklaas, with its three hectares (7 acres),  has the largest surface area. 

Visited at multiple occasions, normally at least once per year, e.g. for the flower carpet, the Christmas Market or another happening.

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ID 1 on the Belgium Tourist Map. With over 160,000 ratings, it is one of the most reviewed Belgian tourist attractions. The Grand Place is surrounded by tourist attractions around every corner.