War heritage Institute - Site Nationaal Gedenkteken van het Fort van Breendonk

Fort van Breendonk is a military fortification. It is located in Willebroek, Belgium. During World War II the German Nazis used the Fort in form of a prisoner camp. Victims of persecution, such as Jews or political dissidents, were imprisoned. Those people had to experience an inhuman living standard. Adding up on that people were tortured and even executed. Between September 1940 and September 1944 around 3600 prisoners were victims of the inhuman behaviour of the Nazis in this camp. Today, the Fort van Breendonk is a national memorial and museum. Its aim is to educate people about the crimes which happened within the place as well as the Nazi time in general. Also, it gives space for remembrance of the victims. Next to that, it aims to give hope to people as well as to defend and respect the “Universal Declaration of Human rights”. Based on this interconnection Fort Breendonk defines itself as a “Human Rights Memorial”. Through educational work, the Fort embraces the idea of solidarity, democracy, and citizenship. Those goals are also represented by the European Solidary Corp. Fort Breendonk is a place of European history and reminds us of the importance to stand up for European values. Next to special events addressing remembrance the main activity of Fort van Breendonk is to welcome visitors. There is not one special target group. The Fort is open to all people interested in its history. Still, mainly school classes attend the memorial. Based on that, it is especially important to us to receive a young person’s view and perspective on the represented history.