The Wire of Death

The Wire of Death. This is how the high voltage frontier barrier was known, a weapon used by the Germans in World War I, installed along the entire border between the Netherlands and Belgium in Beverbeekse Heide nature reserve. The fence has not been forgotten even after more than 100 years. In Hamont-Achel, special signs lead to a reconstruction of this terrifying fence, which for 180 km, from Vaals to Cadzand, carried a voltage of 2,000 volts or more.
The reconstruction at pole number 174 and cycling node 216 on the original border line accurately shows what the fence looked like over a distance of 200 metres. ‘Den Draad' (The Wire), as the phenomenon is still called in the local dialect, took a heavy toll on the lives of residents living on the border and the monastic community of the Achelse Kluis was not spared either, as it is located on the border between the Netherlands and Belgium and was literally split in two by the barrier. If you examine the wall at the main entrance to the abbey, you can still spot traces of it in the brickwork.