The Rampart, The Traffic Artery, and the Park; Designing for the city regions of Antwerp

Influence of the inundation areas on the design of the ramparts and fortification belts.
The Brialmont belt and the belt of the left bank of the
Scheldt
The map on the previous spread gives a more detailed view of the three components
of Antwerp’s National Redoubt defence system: the Grote Omwalling,
several fortification belts, and inundation areas. It should be noted that the
version of the Grote Omwalling visible on this map is the second iteration of
the rampart, see chapter 4.1 for further information on the different iterations.
On the map we clearly see the initial influence of the option to
inundate a certain area on the level of reinforcement. As the maps shows, the
northern part of the Grote Omwalling is significantly less reinforced than its
southern counterpart. The only real defensive structure on the north side is the
Noordkasteel (North castle), a structure built for the purposes of defending the
bent of the Scheldt river, and as a last point of retreat for times when the city
itself had already fallen. A similar role as the citadel in the southern part of the
Spaanse Omwalling (Fortengordels, a). The influence of the inundation area
is also visible in the positioning of the Brialmont belt and fort Merxem, both of
these defend the areas that cannot be inundated.
Linkeroever’s – or the Borgerweertpolder’s – position in this defence
system was still mainly through use of its inundation system, which is visible in
the three kolks (Weelen) that were made by dyke breaches. Even though, we
Figure 3.2
Drawing of the influence of the
inundation areas on the design of the
ramparts and fortification belts.
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