Citadel of Diest

The Citadel of Diest [nl] is the only brick citadel left in Flanders. The citadel was built between 1845 and 1843 on the Allerheiligenberg. The construction of the Citadel was the dominant final piece in the transformation of Diest into a fortified city, as the city walls and gates had been built prior. The whole structure is purely geared towards military functionality, with the only embellishment being the bluestone gate in neoclassical style.^[2]

The citadel is located on the hills on the Demer. Major Laurillard-Fallot (1787-1842) was responsible for its design. The structure has the shape of a bastioned pentagon with sides of about 190 meters. The whole was surrounded by a dry moat and in front of the gate was a drawbridge. The citadel is located on a site of 28ha and the buildings themselves cover an area of 10,200 m².^[3]

On August 26, 1895, the Royal Decree appeared declassifying the core fortress. The citadel served for a few more years as a barrage fortress to protect the railroad but suffered the same fate on April 20, 1906. After the declassification, a disciplinary company was stationed in the citadel. From 1930 to 1940, it housed a depot of the Third Army Corps. The Germans used the citadel during World War II, and after the surrender, the Allies used it for a short time as a prison. In 1946, National Defense Department placed the citadel at the disposal of the city, and 63 emergency houses were built there. Three years later, all kinds of renovation works to prepare the citadel as accommodation for the First Parachute Battalion began. They arrived on 2 August 1953. In 1968, the two city fronts of the citadel were partially demolished to make way for new buildings.^[4]

Since 1996 the citadel has been a protected monument. Together with the other parts of the Diestsesteenweg defence works, Fort Leopold, the Schaffensepoort, and the guard-locks of the Zichem and Leuven gates, it provides a good idea of the military architecture of the second quarter of the 19th century. In 2011, the citadel became vacant.^[4] The future of the citadel has not yet been determined. The city of Diest started looking for a new destination for the site.

In 2012, the city council of Diest decided to build a new hospital on the site. This new building were projected to be ready by 2023 in an agreement in principle between "stad Diest" and the "vzw Vereniging Diestse Ziekenhuizen".^[3] These plans were dropped in 2017 and a new destination is being sought for this listed site.

The citadel is home to various sports clubs, cultural associations, educational institutions and youth work. The municipality has made plans for better access with a new staircase and elevator. This should also make the citadel more attractive to tourists. In cooperation with private parties, the municipality will make plans for the further development of the citadel.^[4]