Driving the abandoned streets of Doel
Doel is an abandoned town located in the Flemish province of East Flanders, in Belgium, not far from Antwerp, a port that has swallowed up many similar small towns as it has grown over the years.
Where is Doel?
The abandoned town is located north of Antwerp, on the River Scheldt, close to the border of the Netherlands. Going inside of the buildings is prohibited.
Why is Doel abandoned?
If you want to get a feel for what an empty and deserted town looks like, you can take a short trip to Doel, a village threatened with demolition due to the expansion of Antwerp’s port on the Scheldt river. The history of Doel is a story of complete demolition and abandonment forced by industrial expansion. This small village on the banks of the Scheldt River went from a regular farming community to a ghost town covered in graffiti. In the 1960s, plans to expand the Port of Antwerp targeted Doel for complete demolition to make room for new shipping docks. By 1998, the government officially slated the village for destruction, forcing a mass exodus as the state bought out most of the homes. As residents left, empty houses were bricked up. The abandoned village quickly became a magnet for squatters, urban explorers, and graffiti artists, turning the streets into an open-air gallery but also leading to heavy looting and arson. A tiny group of locals refused to leave and fought the expansion in court for decades. In 2022, the government officially halted the demolition plan, deciding to spare the historic village core. Today, only about two dozen people live in the town among the ruined, painted houses.
Can I drive in Doel?
Yes, you can drive through Doel. The streets are made of standard asphalt or traditional cobblestones, just like any other village in Flanders. There are no dirt tracks or mechanical obstacles requiring a 4x4; any standard passenger car can drive here easily. The terrain is completely flat and open to regular traffic. While the village is accessible, local authorities installed an automatic barrier system at the main entrance to control the influx of visitors. During weekends and nighttime hours, motorized access is restricted for outside visitors, allowing entry only to the few remaining permanent residents or authorized service vans. During these restricted hours, you must leave your car at the designated parking area at the entrance and explore the streets on foot. The primary driving hazard does not come from the design of the road, but from vandalism. Broken glass, debris, and fallen masonry from the bricked-up houses are common on the pavement. Additionally, because the town attracts urban explorers, photographers, and tourists, drivers must watch out for pedestrians walking in the middle of the street without paying attention to traffic.