Saint Michael’s Bastion

There was a human presence here early on in Antwerp’s history. Archaeologists found skeletons here that were about one thousand years old. These findings contribute to the assumption that Antwerp developed out of two residential cores, one in this location and the other one near Steen Castle.
Later on, this area became one of the city’s defences. In 1612, Saint Michael’s Bastion replaced older, medieval defences. The bastion, a pentagonal defence, was designed to protect the city against attacks from the Scheldt. It was demolished during the construction of the present-day quays (1877-1885).