GATE OF THE COL. DUSART BARRACKS

• GATE OF THE COLONEL DUSART BARRACKS
• Historical Context
• The Dusart Barracks once served as the headquarters of the 11th Line Regiment.
• Colonel Charles Édouard Dusart was appointed commander of the regiment in 1913.
• On the morning of 29 July 1914, as war loomed, Colonel Dusart assembled his troops on what was then known as the Wapenplaats (now Kolonel Dusartplein) before marching towards Liège in response to the German advance.
• He was killed in action during the night of 5–6 August 1914 near Rhées (Herstal), becoming the first Belgian senior officer to fall in the First World War.
• Notable Events and Transformations
• In 1916, ten Belgian spies were executed in the barracks courtyard.
• In remembrance of these and other victims, the Wapenplaats was renamed Martyrs’ Square (Martelaarsplein) in 1919.
• In 1922, the square received its present name, Kolonel Dusartplein.
• The 11th Line Regiment remained active there until 1956.
• During the 1970s, most of the barracks complex was demolished, except for the main façade and gate building, which were preserved as historical landmarks.