The Fort of Huy (french: Fort de Huy) or the Citadel of Huy (french: Citadelle de Huy), known locally as The Castle ( wa, Li Tchestia), is a

fortress A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

located in the Walloon city of

Huy Huy ( or ; nl, Hoei, ; wa, Hu) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. Huy lies along the river Meuse, at the mouth of the small river Hoyoux. It is in the ''sillon industriel'', the former industrial ...

in the

province of Liège A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outs ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. The fort occupies a high position in the town, overlooking the strategic

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...

river. The site of the citadel has been fortified since the ninth century, and various structures have been built on the site. The current fort dates to in 1818 during the period of Dutch rule in Belgium and took five years to build. The Citadel was frequently used to house political prisoners. In the 19th century, members of the revolutionary

Belgian Legion Several military units have been known as the Belgian Legion. The term "Belgian Legion" can refer to Belgian volunteers who served in the French Revolutionary Wars, Napoleonic Wars, Revolutions of 1848 and, more commonly, the Mexico Expedition ...

were imprisoned after their failed invasion of Belgium at

Risquons-Tout Risquons-Tout is a hamlet of Wallonia in the municipality and district of Mouscron, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium on the border with France. It is primarily known for the ''Risquons-Tout incident'', in which a group of Belgian émi ...

in 1848. During the German occupation of Belgium in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, six thousand Belgian political prisoners, including the Communist

Julien Lahaut Julien Lahaut (6 September 1884 – 18 August 1950) was a Belgian politician and communist activist. He became leader of the Communist Party of Belgium after the First World War. A dissident during the German occupation of 1940–44, he becam ...

, were held at the citadel and many were later sent to

concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...

s in Germany. Together with

Dinant Dinant () is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Namur Province, province of Namur, Belgium. On the shores of river Meuse, in the Ardennes, it lies south-east of Brussels, south ...

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

and

Namur Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namu ...

, the Citadel of Huy forms part of the so-called

Meuse Citadels The Meuse citadels or Mosane citadels (french: Citadelles mosanes) are a group of forts situated along the Meuse river in southern Belgian region of Wallonia. The citadels were originally intended to defend the Prince-Bishopric of Liège and Cou ...

External links

Fort de Huy: Mémorial nationalCitadelle de Huy
at ''Châteaux de la Meuse''

References

{{Reflist Prisons in Belgium World War II sites in Belgium

Huy Huy