Antwerp (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Workers in Antwerp discovered a 14th-century wooden road during Paardenmarkt construction. Archaeologists, aware of old city moats, are now mapping and studying the newly uncovered medieval structure.
As VRT News reported, during roadwork on the Paardenmarkt in Antwerp, workers uncovered a 14th-century wooden road that had been buried for centuries. The discovery was made during major redevelopment work on the street, which runs from Slachthuislaan to Klapdorp. The project includes the renewal of the road surface, sewer lines, and foundations, as well as improvements to nearby areas such as Hessenplein and Varkensmarkt.
“The canals, the underground city moats, had already been mapped, and we knew they were there,”
says district alderman Ludo Van Campenhout (N-VA).
But no one had anticipated the discovery of this 14th-century street.”
What does the discovery of a 14th-century wooden road reveal about Antwerp’s medieval growth?
Archaeologists explained that the wooden structure was once used as a foundation to stabilise the ground, a method often used in medieval Antwerp. The beams reveal how builders in the 14th century dealt with the city’s challenging terrain. Experts say the discovery provides valuable information about early road-building techniques and the growth of Antwerp’s northern districts.
District alderman said the wooden road found on the Paardenmarkt offers important insight into how Antwerp developed in the 14th century. The find helps experts trace the city’s early expansion before its major growth in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Archaeologists say such discoveries are rare and valuable for understanding how the first trade routes and streets were built.
“Lange Koepoortstraat was already there during the Viking occupation, Klapdor came later, and now we’ve discovered a 14th-century street in Paardenmarkt.”
The Paardenmarkt in Antwerp dates back to the 14th century, when it was an important trade route linking the port with the old city. Around 1350, the area began to grow beyond the medieval walls, marking one of Antwerp’s first urban expansions. During the 15th and 16th centuries, the street became a busy centre for merchants, stables, and workshops serving the nearby harbour.
Over the following centuries, the neighbourhood changed into a residential and commercial district but kept traces of its medieval past underground. The recent redevelopment works, which began in 2023.
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