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The Graffiti-Covered Belgian Village of Doel Has Been Given a New Lease on Life

Clare Fitzgerald
Photo Credit: FRANCOIS WALSCHAERTS / AFP / Getty Images
Photo Credit: FRANCOIS WALSCHAERTS / AFP / Getty Images

Located along the Scheldt river, in the Flemish province of East Flanders, sits the small and largely-abandoned village of Doel. Since the mid-1960s, the community has been threatened with demolition to make way for the expansion of the Port of Antwerp. After decades of fighting against industry and the Belgian government, local residents have won their battle, with a deal reached that’ll allow the village to remain standing.

Doel’s history dates back centuries

While the first mention of the village was recorded in 1267, Doel’s official history dates back to the Eighty Years’ War, when the Seventeen Provinces revolted against Philip II of Spain, the sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands. Fighting occurred from May 1568 to January 1648, concluding with the recognition of the Dutch Republic and the creation of the Dutch colonial empire.

Spain retained power over the Southern Netherlands.

Rusty boat along a street in Doel
Photo Credit: FRANCOIS WALSCHAERTS / AFP / Getty Images
Graffiti-covered buildings
Photo Credit: FRANCOIS WALSCHAERTS / AFP / Getty Images
Graffiti-covered building at a street corner
Photo Credit: Dursun Aydemir / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images

Until the 1700s, Doel was an island surrounded by land that had purposely been flooded, and today features farmland that, from above, look like a checkerboard. At its height in the 1970s, the village was home to some 1,300 residents.

Home to numerous historic buildings

Doel is home to a number of historic buildings, including some of the oldest in Belgium. This includes the country’s oldest stone windmill, as well as the only windmill situated on a seawall. It also features a number of homes dating back centuries, as well as an historic inn and school, among other buildings.

The village is also home to a residence that once belonged to the family of Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens.

Abandoned house in tall grass
Photo Credit: Dursun Aydemir / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images
Windmill with the Doel Nuclear Power Station in the background
Photo Credit: Thierry Monasse / Getty Images
Graffiti-covered buildings along a street
Photo Credit: FRANCOIS WALSCHAERTS / AFP / Getty Images

Outside of its historic architecture, the area is also home to the Doel Nuclear Power Station, located just north of the village. Situated along the banks of the Scheldt river, its four reactors produce power for not only Belgium, but the Netherlands and France, as well.

Plans to demolish the village of Doel become stalled

In 1965, the Belgian government announced plans to extend the Port of Antwerp, the second-largest port in Europe. To do this, Doel’s residents would have to leave the area and the village, demolished. Many of the area’s homes were condemned, but that didn’t stop families from protesting the decision.

Graffiti-covered interior of a building
Photo Credit: Dursun Aydemir / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images
House with the Doel Nuclear Power Station in the background
Photo Credit: FRANCOIS WALSCHAERTS / AFP / Getty Images
Graffiti-covered building at a street corner
Photo Credit: FRANCOIS WALSCHAERTS / AFP / Getty Images

From the 1970s to the mid-1990s, residents and the government went back and forth over plans to demolish the village. While it appeared locals had succeeded in their efforts at one point, the initial plans were revived in 1995, and four years later the town was officially scheduled for demolition. At this time, many residents voluntarily left after being offered cash premiums for their homes.

Boarded-up buildings along a street in Doel
Photo Credit: Dursun Aydemir / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images
Graffiti-covered building
Photo Credit: Dursun Aydemir / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images
Three boarded-up houses in Doel
Photo Credit: FRANCOIS WALSCHAERTS / AFP / Getty Images

In 2007, a group calling themselves Doel 2020 decided the best way to save the village was to turn it into a street art mecca. By this time, just 350 residents remained. The effort saw many of Doel’s abandoned buildings turned into blank canvasses for those looking to showcase their creativity through graffiti. It is these art pieces that have caused Doel to become a popular location for urban explorers to visit.

Graffiti-covered buildings
Photo Credit: Dursun Aydemir / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images
Graffiti-covered shed with a house in the background
Photo Credit: FRANCOIS WALSCHAERTS / AFP / Getty Images
Graffiti-covered building
Photo Credit: Dursun Aydemir / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images

By government order, residents were no longer allowed to inhabit the village as of September 1, 2009, but there were a few who resisted and remained in their homes. Many of Doel’s historic buildings were subsequently demolished, and a memorial to British soldiers killed near the area during World War II was removed.

Graffiti-covered gas station in Doel
Photo Credit: FRANCOIS WALSCHAERTS / AFP / Getty Images
Aerial view of Doel and the Doel Nuclear Power Station
Photo Credit: Dursun Aydemir / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images
Graffiti-covered house
Photo Credit: Dursun Aydemir / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images

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The European Court of Justice ruled against the plan to expand the Port of Antwerp, citing its threat to the area’s marshlands. This was followed by a similar ruling by Belgium’s Supreme Court in 2016.

On March 30, 2022, a deal was reached that would allow for both Doel’s survival and the expansion of the port, along with the creation of a green buffer zone between the two. As well, it was announced the WWII monument would be returned to where it originally stood.