Belgium · 20th century
Fort Eben-Emael (French: Fort d'Ében-Émael, pronounced [fɔʁ debɛn emal]) is an inactive Belgian fortress located between Liège and Maastricht, on the Belgian-Dutch border, near the Albert Canal, outside the village of Ében-Émael. It was designed to defend Belgium from a German attack across the narrow belt of Dutch territory in the region. Constructed in 1931–1935, it was reputed to be impregnable and, at the time, the largest in the world.
The fort was neutralized by glider-borne German troops (85 men) on 10–11 May 1940 during the Second World War. This was the first strategic airborne operation using paratroopers ever attempted in military history. The action cleared the way for German ground forces to enter Belgium, unhindered by fire from Eben-Emael. While still the property of the Belgian Army, the fort has been preserved as a museum and may be visited.
Text adapted from “Fort Ében-Émael” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Fort Eben-Emael ranks #234 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #2 of the 128 mapped in Belgium. Founded 1932 — one of 169 atlas entries founded in the 20th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 16,957 times in the last 60 days, more than 97% of the atlas. 50 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Liège, 19 km away. See how Belgium compares in the castle statistics.
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