Fort Breendonk, extra photo's added oct 7 |
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pegelli ![]() Admin Group ![]() Dyxum Administrator Joined: 02 June 2007 Country: Belgium Location: Schilde Status: Online Posts: 30625 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posted: 05 November 2019 at 10:55 |
Yesterday I visited Fort Breendonk. Built at the start of the 20th century to be part of the pre WW1 defense ring around Antwerp but most well known as a WWII prison camp of the Belgian branch of the Gestapo. It was used to round up dissidents, resistance fighters and Jews before deportation to the concentration camps in Germany and Poland.
These days it's a national memorial to commemorate the Belgian people killed in both wars. It's an impressive and sobering place. 1: Entrance ![]() 2: With a "hot" welcome (as opposed to a warm welcome ![]() ![]() 3: All guns are removed (already between the wars). The metal domes indicate where they were placed ![]() 4: This is the side the enemy saw whan approaching Antwerp from the South ![]() Allthough at that time the fort was almost completely covered with a meters thick coat of sand 5: Inside corridor with the soldier quarters (WW1) / prison cells (WW2) ![]() 6: Looking into one of the cells ![]() 7: Gate to one of the inside courts ![]() 8: Unfortunately everybody knows what these were used for ![]() ![]() All A7ii + LA-EA4 + Min 24-105D TFL and comments welcome Edited by pegelli - 05 November 2019 at 11:45 |
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Mind the bandwidth of others, don't link pictures larger then 1024 wide or 960 pix high, see here
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C_N_RED_AGAIN ![]() Senior Member ![]() Joined: 05 July 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Posts: 1256 |
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Good series. Love documentaries like these of a place I will never see. Tfs
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Dopol ![]() Alpha Eyes group ![]() Joined: 17 May 2007 Country: Netherlands Location: Amsterdam Status: Offline Posts: 7260 |
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A sobering place indeed. You captured the 'mood' of the place well.
Particularly like #5 (endless corridors with cells) and #7 (state of maintenance, a way out, good light) |
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Jozioau ![]() Alpha Eyes group ![]() Joined: 13 May 2007 Country: Australia Location: Melbourne Status: Offline Posts: 6666 |
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Pieter, a fine but as Domien has said, sobering photo essay of this place with its grim past.
Important that this history is preserved as a lesson to be heeded and learned from. Thanks for sharing. |
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"Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst" - Henri Cartier-Bresson
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Roger Rex ![]() Senior Member ![]() Joined: 30 September 2005 Country: United States Location: North Florida Status: Offline Posts: 7530 |
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#5, the black and white seems to fit the series and mood much more than color - an interesting psychological response I believe - colorful, bright vs. dark and foreboding. I think #6 might look quite different in b&w, perhaps rendering the portrait even more real.
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Hatred corrodes the container it is carried in. http://rogerrex.zenfolio.com/
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waldo_posth ![]() Alpha Eyes group ![]() Joined: 01 August 2012 Country: Germany Location: Potsdam Status: Offline Posts: 5454 |
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Another vote for #5, Pieter!
A fascinating series. There are so many remnants of this dark period in time. Thank you for sharing it! |
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"Stare, pry, listen, eavesdrop. Die knowing something. You are not here long." (Walker Evans) http://www.flickr.com/photos/waldo_posth/
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Fred_S ![]() Senior Member ![]() Joined: 12 January 2017 Country: Netherlands Location: Noord Holland Status: Offline Posts: 9053 |
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You have captured this place beautiifully and respectfully Pieter!
Also my vote gpes to...... #5 TFS |
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pegelli ![]() Admin Group ![]() Dyxum Administrator Joined: 02 June 2007 Country: Belgium Location: Schilde Status: Online Posts: 30625 |
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Thanks for all the comments, much appreciated.
Roger, I thought about colour vs. B&W and especially #6 also works well that way as you indicated. Initially the texture of the rough wooden bunks didn't come out but a little more work improved that and here's the result: 6 bis: ![]() And a few more B&W's 9: Inside a cell, looking towards the corridor, 3/5 of the bunks removed, so 60 people per cell ![]() ![]() 10: The endless corridor from the other side ![]() 11: The exit to the other inside court (opposite of image 7) ![]() All same camera and lens as the first post |
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Mind the bandwidth of others, don't link pictures larger then 1024 wide or 960 pix high, see here
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Roger Rex ![]() Senior Member ![]() Joined: 30 September 2005 Country: United States Location: North Florida Status: Offline Posts: 7530 |
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These b&w's - superb processing that adds a mood that fits perfectly for the subject. I think #6 is a really special image.
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Hatred corrodes the container it is carried in. http://rogerrex.zenfolio.com/
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Fred_S ![]() Senior Member ![]() Joined: 12 January 2017 Country: Netherlands Location: Noord Holland Status: Offline Posts: 9053 |
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C_N_RED_AGAIN ![]() Senior Member ![]() Joined: 05 July 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Posts: 1256 |
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I am a big fan of six myself. Good work
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clk230 ![]() Senior Member ![]() Joined: 25 June 2014 Country: Australia Location: Adelaide Status: Offline Posts: 1199 |
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Yes, "6 bis" is even better than 6.
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C & C always welcome
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MichelvA ![]() Alpha Eyes group ![]() Knowledge Base Contributor Joined: 26 April 2008 Country: Netherlands Status: Offline Posts: 18152 |
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Photos's of places that have such a bad history always makes me a bit sad. In that regard you captured the mood well, so i agree with Domien here. The b&w ones are certainly stronger imo. #5 is the best for me. Followed by #10 which looks almost exactly the same.. TFS Pieter
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