Opstalvallei - Groenplanwandeling Antwerpen

Starting location
Zoutestraat, near corner with St-Jan-Baptiststraat
Accessible with:
Bus 671, 770, 771, 772, 778, 779, 780

Landscape
This landscape has a dynamic past and is still in full transformation today. Originally it was part of the Scheldt system. The streams that flowed from the Kempisch Plateau to the Scheldt lost flow velocity in the flat area, making this zone naturally very wet. The former landscape consisted of swampy plains and roughs. Parts of that plain were systematically reclaimed, with the water reduced to a fine system of streams and canals. The fields and meadows on fertile clay soil were given an agricultural function. Due to the expansion of the port and the construction of the A12 in the last century, this polder was largely occupied and cut off from the surrounding landscapes. The polder drainage system was also interrupted, making the area wetter again today and sometimes flooding.