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Anti-tank canal – Fort Oelegem loop from Domein Ter Mik

Anti-tank canal – Fort Oelegem loop from Domein Ter Mik

Moderate

riders

Anti-tank canal – Fort Oelegem loop from Domein Ter Mik

03:43

64.4km

90m

Gravel riding

Moderate gravel ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: March 31, 2026

Tips

Cycling is not permitted along parts of this route

After 29.9 km for 156 m

After 33.7 km for 78 m

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

3.43 km

anti-tank canal

Highlight • Structure

In the 1930s, near an extensive network of trenches from World War I, soldiers dug a canal in a quarter circle around Antwerp. The canal was between 6 and 18 meters wide, 2 meters deep and no less than 33 kilometers long, from Zandvliet to Oelegem.

The anti-tank canal was to stop the advance of German tanks and other rolling stock towards Antwerp. However, the enemy came from the other side...

The canal and its banks have since evolved into a green connection between different nature reserves. Plants and animals now easily make the crossing to another nature reserve. Some parts of the original canal have disappeared due to the expansion of the harbor and the construction of highways.

The remains of the canal are now invaluable as a moat. Several fortresses and many bunkers were built along the canal. They have been serving as a comfortable hibernation place for bats for some time now. The calcareous concrete of the fortresses is also very useful for the growth of mosses, ferns and many other plants.

Translated by Google •

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5.15 km

Antitankgracht – Green ribbon around the city of Antwerp

Highlight • River

The Antwerp Antitankgracht is an artificial watercourse that forms a large quarter circle around the city of Antwerp.
The moat has a length of about 33 km and is at least 6 meters wide. It connects the Scheldt near Berendrecht with the Albert Canal in Oelegem

Translated by Google •

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11.3 km

Cycling along the Anti-Tank Canal

Highlight • River

It started as a military structure, but it is now an attractive natural ribbon that invites you to walk, cycle, relax and explore. The Antitankgracht dates from just before the Second World War. He was once part of a whole network of defense lines, fortresses and bunkers around Antwerp. After the war, nature took over from the military. Very special places were created with a great diversity of plants and animals. Many species that found their permanent home here have often become rare in other places in Flanders. The Antitankgracht is a real "animal highway" that ensures that animals move from one nature reserve to another. In addition to the beautiful nature, there is of course also the impressive military heritage in the immediate vicinity of the canal: fortresses, bunkers and all kinds of buildings that served a military purpose at the time.

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12.3 km

Fort Oelegem

Highlight • Historical Site

The fort was built between 1909 and 1914 to prevent an invasion. After 1918, the fort was rebuilt, its weapons replaced, and its ventilation and emergency exits were adapted.

During World War II, the German Wehrmacht used the fort as a storage facility. After the liberation, it served the US Army as an anti-aircraft defense center against V1 rockets.

In 1947, the fort's military use finally ended, and it became private property.

Today, it is home to approximately 1,300 bats. On certain days and by appointment, you can visit it as part of a guided tour.

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13.5 km

Vrieselhof Castle

Highlight • Castle

The name "Vrieselhof" goes back to Jan van Vriesele, a nobleman from Kontich who bought about 24 bundles of land in Oelegem (about 32 ha) around 1300. He gave the land as a dowry for his daughter. More information from that time is not known. In 1450 an important farm with seigniorial rights was mentioned on the domain, which included forests, heathland and marshland. In 1457 there was talk of a knightly court, called 't hof van Vriesele. The owner, Matheeus van Steenbergen, then received permission from Philip the Good, the Duke of Burgundy, to set up a late court at his court. This was a lower court where a meier could adjudicate on local disputes. In 1495 Josine van Steenbergen inherited the domain. It was then that court canals were mentioned for the first time. Among the owners of the castle were some mayors of Antwerp: Kosten van Halmale and Hendrik van Halmale.
During the Eighty Years' War (16th -17th century), the inhabitants of Oelegem took shelter in the castle several times. From 1509, members of the van Halmale family owned the domain. The last descendant, Alfons-Ignace van Halmale, died childless in 1788. After that, the castle domain came into the hands of Charles-Ignace d'Oultremont and his wife Anne-Henriette de Neuf. The latter still had ties to the van Halmale family: her grandmother was Barbara Anna Philippa van Halmale (daughter of Alexander Jozef van Halmale, who was also mayor of Antwerp). For the new heirs, the castle was a country residence where they rarely stayed.
Restoration works were carried out on the castle in the 19th century. The nearby coach house with storage dates from 1877. In 1910 Count Louis de Brouckhoven de Berkeyck became the owner of the whole. He had the old castle rebuilt in Neo-Flemish-Renaissance style with stepped gables, brick layers and corner towers, but after the outbreak of the First World War, the Belgian troops burned the castle down for strategic reasons on October 7, 1914. Between 1917 and 1919, the current castle was burned down. rebuilt in the same style as the recently built ruined castle. In 1974 the castle and the accompanying domain were sold to the province of Antwerp by the grandchildren of Louis de Brouckhoven de Berkeyck.
Source : Wikipedia

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14.1 km

Provinciaal Domein Vrieselhof

Forest

24.4 km

Antitank Canal

Highlight • River

The Antitankgracht was constructed just before the Second World War to stop German tanks. Fortunately, that is no longer necessary today, but it does provide us with a nice location to cycle through.

Translated by Google •

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39.1 km

De Inslag

Nature Reserve

44.5 km

beautiful avenue

Highlight • Trail

You imagine yourself in a cathedral, with artfully shaped buttresses and a sparkling roof

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48.9 km

Loopgraven en bunkers in het Mastenbos

Archaeological Site

50.2 km

Mastenbos

Forest

52.3 km

Antitankgracht

Lake

58.1 km

Brasschaat Military Airfield

Highlight • Historical Site

In the middle of a beautiful nature reserve lies the Brasschaat airport. It has existed since 1910 and is one of the oldest airports in Europe.
The military domain is partly accessible and you can walk and cycle there beautifully. And during the season you can discover the area in a different way via the rail bikes.

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64.4 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

25.3 km

12.1 km

12.0 km

9.62 km

5.33 km

< 100 m

Surfaces

19.4 km

18.2 km

17.8 km

6.52 km

2.15 km

283 m

Elevation

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Weather

Saturday 23 May

28°C

14°C

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Anti-tank canal – Fort Oelegem loop from Domein Ter Mik

anti-tank canal

Antitankgracht – Green ribbon around the city of Antwerp

Cycling along the Anti-Tank Canal

Fort Oelegem

Vrieselhof Castle

Antitank Canal

beautiful avenue

Brasschaat Military Airfield

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