Fort de la Chartreuse, Liège
Exploring the Ruins of an Abandoned Fortress
A Brief History of Fort de la Chartreuse
The history of the Chartreuse hill goes back much further than the fortress itself. A Carthusian monastery was established here in the 14th century, giving the area the name it still carries today.
The fort as we know it was built between 1818 and 1823, when Liège was part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Its purpose was to help defend the strategically important city. The fortress was designed with multiple defensive sections, including bastions, and formed part of the military landscape of the region.
Military technology eventually made the older fortifications less useful. In 1891, Fort de la Chartreuse lost its status as a fortress and was converted into a barracks.
Its history also includes some much darker chapters. During the First World War, German forces used the complex as a prison for Belgian resistance members. Many were executed at the site, and the Bastion des Fusillés now commemorates those who lost their lives. During the Second World War, the complex was also used as a military hospital by American forces.
The Belgian military eventually left the site in the early 1980s. Without its original purpose, the buildings entered a long period of decline.
Parts of the former military complex are now protected heritage, but protection alone has not stopped the structures from deteriorating.
A Different Kind of Shelter
When exploring Fort de la Chartreuse, it is easy to focus on the crumbling walls, graffiti and abandoned military buildings. But the site's more recent history is just as interesting.
The camp was more than a collection of tents. Volunteers helped provide basic necessities and practical support, creating a community in a place that might otherwise have been seen as nothing more than abandoned ruins.
In 2022, the site became associated with another occupation: an environmental protest against plans for housing development on the surrounding green space. Activists established a camp to defend the area from development, bringing a new chapter to the site's complicated recent history.
These different uses illustrate how Fort de la Chartreuse has remained part of the city's life even after its military purpose disappeared. What looks abandoned from the outside has, at different times, been a shelter, a community space and a place of protest.
Fort de la Chartreuse Today: What to Know Before Visiting
Fort de la Chartreuse is located in Grivegnée, on the eastern side of Liège, Belgium. The surrounding Parc de la Chartreuse provides a green space for walking and enjoying the outdoors.
I visited Fort de la Chartreuse in 2020 and again in 2022, when the abandoned military complex was still accessible enough to explore and photograph. At the time, it was a fascinating place to wander around, with crumbling buildings, colourful graffiti and traces of its former military life.
However, access has changed considerably since my visits. In August 2024, the City of Liège arranged for the entrances to the privately owned fort buildings to be secured because of the deteriorating condition of the structures and the risk of collapse. Security measures were subsequently completed in 2025.
The surrounding public park remains accessible, but that does not mean the abandoned fort buildings are open to visitors. If you're planning a visit today, check the latest local information and respect all barriers and access restrictions.
Want to discover more places? Explore my other stories, forgotten places, and adventures from Belgium.
