Belgian 'ghost town' escapes demolition plans and hopes for renewal

During decades of legal battles against Antwerp port expansion, the population in Doel dwindled, buildings were defaced, fell into disrepair or were demolished. Photos: dpa

Doel, a Belgian village perched by the river Scheldt in the shadows of a nuclear power plant, has a population of just 18 residents.

Its many houses, now boarded up and covered in street art and graffiti, were once the homes of some 800 inhabitants.

But the population has been falling steadily since village was listed for demolition in the 1960s. The vast majority of locals saw little reason to stay on given plans to raze the village to make room for the expansion of the nearby port of Antwerp.

Hollowed out over time, as buildings and streets emptied and residents struggled to hold on to their community, the place soon became known in Belgium as a "ghost town".

Decades of legal battles followed as community action groups resisted the development.

As the population in Doel dwindled, buildings were defaced, fell into disrepair or were demolished.Over time, the village emptied of residents and became popular with a different crowd – graffiti artists and urban explorers.

Doel's many houses, now boarded up and covered in street art and graffiti, were once the homes of some 800 inhabitants.

Doel has since made a name for itself as a ghost town – though some dispute this, given the ongoing population of around 18 residents, according to a count from annual festival organisers.

Locals are now expressing new hopes for the future as the once-doomed community looks to move on from an embattled past. Community associations plan now aim to attract new residents to the region with cultural and heritage projects.

"There's a new era and a new vibe and a lot of positivity about the future of the village," said Lisa Steuchen, a resident for the last five years, involved in community activism at an annual festival in August.

In the first half of 2022, a historic accord between action groups, the local Flemish government and the Port of Antwerp guaranteed a new future for Doel amid the expansion plans.

Central to this effort is the restoration of a historic warehouse to provide an art studio called the Atelier De Nijs for artistic works as well as a workshop for traditional crafts.

The warehouse is also the location of a major project to restore an old freighter called the Ortelius. Doel hopes to soon give harbour tours with the ship.

Vandalism remains an issue, and the village "will always have scars", but this is part of the community's story, Steuchen says, hoping to see more people living in Doel soon.

In the first half of 2022, a historic accord between action groups, the local Flemish government and the Port of Antwerp guaranteed a new future for Doel amid the expansion plans.

Heart and soul of the people

Jeroen Jannssen, a heritage project leader, said Doel's next challenge is part of the community's transition to the future, linked to the importance of local connections.

Heritage is "about the heart and soul of the people", he said. "They build with their own sweat, their own house, and they lived there, and their children were born, parents died, and so on and so on. You can't pay them enough to move out."

Organisers and Belgian police estimate 20,000 people attended the annual Scheldt consecration, a festival originally organised to protest the village's demolition, but now a celebration of Doel's future.

"The village has never been talked about being so positive and well with all the parties, the harbour, the government," local holdout Steuchen admits.

She is optimistic after decades of decay and a declining population. "The future looks bright." – dpa/Ciaran Sunderland