Antwerp Citadel (, ) was a pentagonal bastion fort built to defend and dominate the city of

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

in the early stages of the Dutch Revolt. It has been described as "doubtlesse the most matchlesse piece of modern Fortification in the World" and as "one of the most studied urban installations of the sixteenth century".

History

The citadel was designed by the Italian engineer Francesco Paciotto and built on the orders of the Duke of Alva. Initial construction was completed in 1572. After the Sack of Antwerp (1576) the citizens partially demolished the fortification, but it was reconstructed after the Fall of Antwerp (1585). The citadel saw action towards the end of the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

, when it was defended by determined Bonapartists. The Siege of Antwerp (1814) continued for a month after Napoleon's abdication. After the

Belgian Revolution The Belgian Revolution (, ) was a conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. The ...

of 1830, Dutch forces remained in control of the citadel until the Siege of Antwerp (1832). Demolition began in 1874 and was completed in 1881. The site became a new neighbourhood of the city, Zuid, in which the most prominent construction was the new building for the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp.

Governors of the citadel

In Spanish the title of the governor of the citadel was ''Castellano de Amberes'' ("Castellan of Antwerp"). *1576: Sancho d'Avila *1577: Philippe III de Croÿ *1587–1596: Don Cristóbal de Mondragón *1606-1622: Don Íñigo de Borja * -1674: Don Pedro Sanpayo. *1674-1678: Don Mateo de Villegas. *1679–1693: Don Francisco Marcos de Velasco *1693-1695: Don Diego Gomez, Marques of Espinosa *1695-1700: Don Pedro Alvarez de Vega. *1700-: Don Luis de Borja, Marquess of Caracena. *1830–1832: David Hendrik Chassé * Don Fernando de Solís y Vargas de Carvajal, died 1669. * Don Geronimo de Cobos, died 1643 * Don Diego de Heredia y Arambulo, died 1704 * Don Antonio de Castro y Tello, died 1659 * Don Julian Martinez de la Parra

Our Lady of the Citadel

In the Sint-Joriskerk there is still a brotherhood called Our Lady of the Citadel ().

References

{{coord, 51.208425000000005, 4.392738888888888, display=title Buildings and structures completed in 1572 16th-century fortifications 16th century in Antwerp Buildings and structures demolished in 1881 Citadels Buildings and structures in Antwerp

Citadel A citadel is the most fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of ''city'', meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. ...

Fortifications in Belgium Demolished buildings and structures in Belgium