Discover the turbulent history of this 19th-century fortress as you explore prison cells and interrogation areas used when it was a World War II prison camp.
Take the cable car to the Citadel de Huy for incredible views over the town of Huy and the Meuse River. The fortress was originally built in the Middle Ages, damaged during the 16th-century Franco-Dutch wars and War of Spanish Succession and then dismantled entirely after the Barrier Treaty. After the Dutch took over the region it was rebuilt in the early 1800s to ward off a possible attack from the French. Imagine a large army of 600 housed within.
Learn about the fort’s long history of detaining political prisoners, first with the Belgian Legion revolutionaries and then during World War II. Between 1940 and 1944, over 7,000 political prisoners were kept in the Citadel of Huy many were later sent to German concentration camps.
Step back in time to revisit the sad history of World War II as you explore interrogation rooms, dungeons and prison cells. The eerie atmosphere of the rooms stands as testimony to the brutal Nazi regime. The Citadel of Huy houses a museum relating to World War II, which tells the stories of some of the prisoners kept here, the Belgian Resistance and the happier days of Huy’s liberation from German occupation.
View interactive multimedia presentations bringing this period of history alive for visitors. Several spots around the courtyard and citadel memorialize the dead of the Citadel of Huy and the victims of concentration camps.
The Citadel of Huy and its museum are open daily. There is an entry fee, but children enter for free. Purchase tickets for the cable car from the station on rue d’Arsins near the Maison de Batta or hike up to the fort. If you want an aerial view of the fort, it’s worth paying the transportation fee, as the cable car passes just over the top, giving you a view into the triangular courtyard as well as Huy and the River Meuse.
