Inaugurated on August 8, 1937, Fort Tancrémont was formerly called Fort Pepinster. It differs from the eight other forts built by General Henri Alexis Brialmont before the First World War in its compact structure of gun turrets and observation posts.
Its small size, two kilometers of galleries at a depth of 28 meters, didn’t allow Fort Tancrémont to support the neighboring forts. But it nevertheless played an essential vanguard role at the time of the German invasion in 1940.
During the invasion, the fort was under construction, making the primary block accessible to the attackers. On May 12, 1940, just after the capture of Fort Eben-Emael, the Germans attacked Fort Tancrémont and demanded its surrender. After almost ten days of resistance, the fort finally surrendered on May 29, becoming the last of the Liège forts to give up their weapons, and only after the general Belgian surrender.
A visit to the fort lasts about three hours. Don’t hesitate to explore and admire its green space, its cannons, its mortar block, its machine-gun blocks, its 2000 meters of galleries, or its command post.
You will also discover uniforms, everyday objects, and press clippings dating from the Second World War.
Don’t forget to make a small detour to “Au Vieux Tancrémont,” to taste a specialty of the region: their famous rice pies!
