Schaffense Poort on the field side (Diest)

The Schaffense Poort is one of the oldest city gates in Diest. It was already part of the medieval ramparts. During the construction of the 19th-century defensive belt around Diest, the Schaffense Poort was reconstructed between 1837 and 1844. It was the gate with the busiest traffic at that time. About a third of the traffic to and from Diest went through this access.

The round-arched outer gate is located in the 2.5 to 3 meter thick front wall and is flanked by side walls with firing slits. On the inside, these shooting slits are in niches of the thick outer wall and give the shooter extra protection. The military architecture is characteristic of that period: functional, but impressive due to its size. In addition, accents are added by the use of the bluestone ('bluestone'). In itself, this type of stone is not necessarily necessary to give strength, but its use increases the prestige of the building.

Over the outer moat was a wooden bridge, supported by three hard stone pillars and a brick bridgehead. The part of the bridge that connected directly to the outer gate was retrievable via a pulley system. Further in, we go over the main moat. Through the usual round arched gate with retaining walls, we walk through a 'tube' and arrive at a rectangular courtyard along which symmetrically 'rooms' are grouped. In professional jargon this is a poterne (tube) and the 'rooms' are case-matted flank batteries. The latter are reinforced spaces in which the guns were placed. They each comprise three vaulted gun cellars (6 x 4 x 3.5 m), separated by 1 meter thick intermediate walls and accessed by barred oak round arch gates. The mask walls facing the moat are openwork with a round-arched gun hole and two firing slits. The guns are therefore not placed perpendicular to the front but laterally. At the top, just below the vault, there is a round ventilation hole for the evacuation of the harmful powder fumes.

When we walk further through the poterne towards the city, we see that two arches were saved on both sides in the 1.65 meter thick side walls. These granted access to the powder magazine. The actual warehouse (5.6 x 4 m) is a vaulted room with 1 to 1.65 meters thick walls. The entrance was extra secured with a double door.

Jan Rymenams