The remains of a 16th-century renaissance bastion are hidden deep below the street in an Antwerp car park.
The stone structure, built during the Spanish occupation, was uncovered near the former National Bank building in 2003.
The city decided to sacrifice a few parking spaces to create a small underground museum incorporating a stretch of the historic wall.
Opened in 2017, the Keizersbastion, or Emperor’s Bastion, includes details from old maps, along with objects uncovered from the moat such as nails, coins and shoes.
You find this curious museum in the car park on Frankrijklei, level minus 3.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
