Experience

ANTWERP | Start of works on public space at the Loodswezensite

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At the end of September 2025,  the beginning of the first phase of redevelopment of the public space at the Pilotage Site or Loodswezen site, started. Yes, that sounds very tentative.

This is the area along the Scheldt at the level of Orteliuskaai and Van Meterenkaai. The two-hectare public space will become a park with several gardens. The redevelopment also includes the integration of the flood defence at Sigma height and the construction of a Names Monument to commemorate Antwerp’s victims of World War II. If all goes to plan, the works will be completed by the summer of 2027.

The Pilotage Site is one of seven sub-areas forming part of the Scheldt Quays master plan. The project zone borders the Scheldt to the west and Tavernierkaai, Orteliuskaai and Van Meterenkaai to the east. To the north and south, it connects to the other sub-areas of the Scheldt Quays. The final design was approved two years ago.

Park with gardens and a view of the Scheldt

The two-hectare public space will become a park with three different gardens, including an elevated sunbathing lawn. The former waterways (Brouwersvliet, Sint-Pietersvliet and Koolvliet) will also be given a new visual form, reconnecting city and river. Alongside these waterways, the Names Monument will be integrated, commemorating Antwerp’s victims of the Second World War.

The entire park landscape contributes to the sense of calm and serenity required for the monument, functioning as a place of reflection. At the same time, the urban space has been designed to allow for recreation, offering a high-quality green public space close to the city centre.

Alderman for Public Space Ken Casier (N-VA): “The works on the redevelopment of the Scheldt Quays at the Pilotage are under way, and that is wonderful news. At the place where we once set up a temporary sunbathing lawn, an open-air exhibition and a mock-up of the Names Monument, there will now be a two-hectare park. Alongside the memorial walls honouring Antwerp’s Second World War victims, several gardens will be created. Walking and spending time in an oasis of greenery, beside the water and in peace … right next to our historic city centre; many other cities will envy us.”

Alderman for Urban Development Patrick Janssens (Vooruit): “The redevelopment of the Pilotage site not only gives us a beautiful new public space, but also the opportunity to make the city’s historical layers visible. By reintegrating the old waterways into the landscape, we reconnect the city’s past with the Scheldt and make history tangible for visitors.”

Names Monument as part of the public space

The Names Monument commemorates all victims of the Second World War in Antwerp. It contains an inclusive list of all names, divided into four groups: victims of the Holocaust, civilian victims of Nazi violence, civilian victims of military violence, and military victims. The listing of names will make visible the scale of each group.

The names will be arranged alphabetically so that each victim can easily be found. The memorial wall consists of stacked natural stone. The age of each victim is reflected in the choice of stone: a different type of stone is used for each decade lived, ranging from lighter to darker tones. In this way, it becomes clear that victims of all ages suffered from the violence.

The placement of names in the quay walls invites visitors to walk along the remembrance gardens. In total, the memorial walls will be 336 metres long and contain more than 23,000 stones. This will create different routes, both for each victim group separately and for all groups together. In close dialogue with nature, the design provides space for meeting, tranquillity and reflection.

In recent months, a small mock-up of the Names Monument could be viewed in the grassed area.

Acting Mayor Els van Doesburg (N-VA): “With this project, we connect past, present and future. The Scheldt and its quays have always been Antwerp’s backbone. Today we are turning them not only into a green meeting place for all citizens, but also into a place of remembrance and contemplation. The Names Monument gives thousands of victims of the Second World War a lasting place in our city. Soon young and old will stand here together on the Scheldt quays, with the wind in their hair, never forgetting that peace and freedom cannot be taken for granted. In this way, we are building a city that remembers, that lives and that looks to the future.”

On the look of Antwerp

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