Doel Belgian deserted city

For many years now, this town should exist only in the pictures and memories of its inhabitants. However, it still bravely resists. Learn about the history of Doel in Belgium. It’s a real ghost town.
The first mention of the medieval village of Doel can be found as early as 1267, when “Doolen” was a small island surrounded by flooded plains. Times have changed, the town is no longer surrounded by water, but soon its more than 700 years of history may be underneath it. But let us start from the beginning.
Doel is a village located near the river Sklady in Belgium, around 30 kilometres from Antwerp. Close proximity to the river and the port of Antwerp is its Achilles heel. In the 20th century, the port of Antwerp developed rapidly, and as time passed, it needed to be gradually expanded. For this reason, in 1970 the Belgian government established that the port would “absorb” several nearby villages, from which people were to be resettled. The sentence was imposed on Wilmarsdonk, which was followed only by the church tower, Oorderen, Lillo, and Doel, who was still resisting.