The Noordkasteel was a citadel built in 1862 on the territory of the disappeared polder village of Oosterweel. Its main task was to defend the Oosterweel turn at the Schelde in Antwerp.
The Northern Castle replaced the smaller Fort Ferdinand, founded in 1812 by Napoleon Bonaparte.
The Northern Castle was the northernmost fortress and the closure of the fortress around Antwerp. This fortress broke down in the 20th century to make way for the Ring around Antwerp, the R1.
As early as 1881, nineteen years after construction, most of the Noordkasteel was broken down to make way for the American dock and the African dock because of the expansion of the port of Antwerp. Here, many years of discussion had been discussed. The plans for both docks date back to 1872, but the construction of the docks could not be started until 1882. In 1910 the Noordkasteel was officially deprived as a military area. Recreation domain
In May, Camille Huysmans, the Mayor Camille Huysmans, transformed the 61 acre North Castle domain into a recreation resort with a very popular and public outdoor swimming pool. In 1957, a large part of the recreation area had to deviate from the western expansion of the Americans. In 1969, the recreation center Noordkasteel was closed for the construction of the never-established Boerinnensluis. The only remaining half caponnière 1 became a city magazine on the current Oosterweelsteenweg. In the underground corridors, explosives were stored until 1995. In the dome opening the Buulmolen from Olen was placed. The windmill was there from 1936 to 1974, the year in which he was moved about 400 meters. In 1986 he was dismantled to be definitively returned to Olen in 1991.
Today, the castle remains just a green area with a piece of omwalling (from the front 1-2 and 2-3) on the rowing pond (the former main moat) near the Hogere Zeevaartschool.
In 2005, the master plan of Antwerp provides the construction of the Oosterweel junction as part of the Oosterweel connection on part of the remaining grounds of the Noordkasteel. Externe link
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