Schoenenbourg Travel Guide

 mtncorg Says:  Schoenenbourg had six combat blocs, two of which - Blocs 1 and 6 - were infantry casements which provided protection for the surface levels of the combat blocs. Bloc 2 provided more machine gun protection against would-be attackers. Blocs 3 and 4 had twin 75mm artillery... 

 mtncorg Says:  Just behind the combat bloc areas, you find the command centers for the fort – one for the fort’s infantry – something that was lacking at the Belgian %L[]Fort Eben Emael - one for the control of the artillery and one for overall command of the fort. Artillery spotters would... 

 mtncorg Says:  Linking the entrance and barracks blocs to the combat blocs – a distance of a kilometer – is the main gallery. Running the length is a narrow-gauge railway which used electric trolley engines for the transportation power. Off this gallery were both a secret exit and a sewer... 

 mtncorg Says:  Normal power came in from the outside via cables that entered the fort at the midway point of the main gallery. During wartime, four 160hp generators could be used to provide power when outside sources were unavailable. Three could be used at one time with the last always... 

 mtncorg Says:  Air for the fort was pumped in through the entrances while foul air from the powerhouses, barracks and kitchen was ejected. Ventilators were also present to evacuate fumes caused by the firing of the guns and to prevent toxic gas from getting into the forts. The filtration... 

 mtncorg Says:  Kitchens were equipped with modern conveniences – a huge electric cooker had room for three large pots, two working simultaneously as slow cookers. A separate cooker was used in the officers’ mess. Storage rooms, a cold room and a wine cellar were also located next to the... 

 mtncorg Says:  Near the entrances, you find quarters for men off duty inside the fort – beds for three officers, 24 NCO’s and 144 troops. Eventually, 630 men would be on service in the fort, so beds had to be rotated in a fashion similar to what you find in ships and submarines. Medical... 

 mtncorg Says:  There are two entrances to Fort Schoenenbourg, one for personnel and one for the ammunition. These entrances are in the woods about one kilometer south from the combat blocs where the main artillery pieces were located. Today visitors enter the fort through the ammunition...