Fort Hollogne, one of 12 forts built as part of the fortified position of Liège in Belgium at the end of the 19th century, was constructed between 1888 and 1892 according to plans drawn up by General Brialmont. Notably different from contemporary French forts designed by Raymond Séré de Rivières, Fort Hollogne was built entirely of unreinforced concrete, an innovative material at the time, rather than masonry.
Galerie photos
Eebie, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
History
On August 6, 1914, Liège suffered a major attack, and although the city’s forts put up unexpected resistance, the Germans, faced with superior firepower, heavily bombarded Fort Hollogne on August 13.
After the explosion of the Loncin fort on August 15, German emissaries approached the last two Belgian forts, Flémalle and Hollogne, emphasizing the consequences of continued resistance. Although the initial plan was to sabotage the fort and flee, the garrison at Hollogne, surrounded, surrendered on August 16 at 7:30 a.m.
During World War II, the fort, which had not been modernized in the 1930s, was bombed in 1940 and was considered as a launch base for V2 rockets during the German occupation.
After liberation in 1944, it was converted into a hospital by the Americans, then used as a military depot and command post for the Belgian Air Force until 1991.
Owned by the Ministry of Defense until 1997, it was then transferred to the Ministry of Transport and integrated into Liège Airport.
