Fort Barchon
Fort Barchon was one of the twelve Belgian forts in the inner fortress ring of Liège . The fortress played a role in both World War I and World War II .
The fort is located on a hill directly above the right bank of the Meuse and about 6.5 km northeast of downtown Liège . His tactical task was primarily to deny entry into the city to an enemy moving up the Maas. Its equipment and appearance can be compared to Fort Loncin .
Fort Barchon was immediately besieged by the German troops in the first days of World War I and even before the heavy siege gun Dicke Bertha was used for the first time , it was taken by an assault with high losses.
Before the Second World War, the fort was significantly reinforced. The most noticeable change was a 20 m high tower, which was primarily used to suck in fresh air from a great height in order to prevent the penetration of warfare agents into the facility. The tower stands a few hundred meters outside the fort and is connected to it by a hollow passage.
The fort is still fully preserved today and is currently being converted into a museum .
Once a year in March, a local speleological association organizes an international meeting in the fort. Almost all corridors, air shafts and cisterns are then used to create an artificial cave course. The speleologists reach corners of the fort that are otherwise hidden from everyone. The course is divided into six topics (e.g. open air, narrow, cold, wet, strenuous), driving the entire course is an extreme sporting performance that certainly cannot be achieved in less than ten hours. Speleologists from Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and France meet here, occasionally also English, Poles and Germans.
Web links
Coordinates: 50 ° 40 ′ 20 " N , 5 ° 41 ′ 32" E