Belgium: take the old wooden escalator in Antwerp

Have you ever taken an old wooden escalator? Well… Get ready to take a little underground journey through time… and take the Stairway to Antwerp !

When in Antwerp, there is one thing you absolutely must do: check out the iconic old wooden escalator!  It’s a highlight not to be missed.

It was made in the 1930’s when the St. Anna Tunnel was build under the Scheld river so that you could go from one side to the other without taking a boat or ferry.  The tunnel took 30 months to build and was inaugurated in 1933, and it’s classified as historic monument.  The stairs are of Belgian manufacture, and each step, made of solid wood, weighs around 40kgs!  It is one of the last working old escalator in the world.  Actually, in order to get to the tunnel, you need to take…. 2 escalators! so that makes it 2 on each side of the river, 4 in total. That is, if you have the time to walk through the underpass, which is 572 meter long.  It’s a pedestrian and bicycle tunnel, so pick your mode of transport! wheels or feet… both go on the escalator It’s open 24/7 , and if really you just want to go to the tunnel without using the staircase, there’s a lift as well (which was not working when I went there).

See below some pictures and a video of the wooden escalator so that you get a feel of it… the sound is amazing!

 

 

and now, with sound….:

See my other posts on Belgium

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