Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Burros Alfa and Beto, seen here with Luis Soriano in 2008, have been helping the teacher deliver books for more than 20 years.
How One Man and His ‘Biblioburro’ Spreads Literacy in Rural Colombia
Price Tower
What Happened to Price Tower, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Only Skyscraper?
Jeremy Bentham’s Auto-Icon in its new location in 2020
The Jeremy Bentham Auto-Icon: Why This Legendary Philosopher Put His Own Body on Display
The truth is out there—somewhere.
The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Belgium Antwerp St. Anna's Tunnel

St. Anna's Tunnel

Rare wooden escalators lead deep down into an otherwise staggeringly monotonous tiled tunnel.

Antwerp, Belgium

Added By
Tom Vandenberghe
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Wooden escalators, can’t slide down the middle.   Smiley.toerist
The tunnel is long and it seems impossible to see one end from the other   evilolive / Atlas Obscura User
The wooden caps to the escalator   evilolive / Atlas Obscura User
  Frederic Diependaele / Atlas Obscura User
A close look at the wooden teeth of the escalator   evilolive / Atlas Obscura User
  CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
572 meters of ceramic tiles.   Trougnouf
St Anna’s Tunnel at night.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Technical data, just in case.   JojoParis
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Majestic wooden escalators lead you deep down into a tunnel that stretches beneath the Scheldt River. They’re the highlight of the otherwise staggeringly monotonous 1,876 feet of ceramic tiles that backdrop your walk from shore to shore.

The escalators were made in the 1930s. They were a novelty then and still are now, thanks to the rarity of wooden escalators. The beautiful woodwork is remarkably preserved, making this a real treat for anyone tired of the modern, more unsightly escalators that dominate pretty much everywhere else.

St. Anna’s Tunnel was built to connect the newer parts of Antwerp with the older portion of the city so locals wouldn’t have to rely on ferry service alone. Originally, plans were made to build a bridge over the river. But this would’ve gotten in the way of the many ships that cruise the waterway, so officials decided to build under rather than over it.

As with many European structures, the tunnel was badly damaged during World War II. The passage has since been repaired, and it and its unusual escalators are still frequently used by pedestrians and cyclists as they go about their daily commutes.

As you go down the escalator, visitors will see some pictures on the walls displaying the tunnel's history and how it was built. 

Related Tags

Tunnels Trails Stairs Woodwork Subterranean Sites

Know Before You Go

There's actually some nice places to discover at "Linkeroever," the other side of the Scheldt. Keep the river on your right, and follow the trail for about half a mile toward a small beach called Sint-Annastrand, that might even lose some of its grimness during summery days. And there's also a hilarious 6D cinema!

Community Contributors

Added By

Tom JK

Edited By

Fred Cherrygarden, goldylocks, CoolCrab, Frederic Diependaele...

  • Fred Cherrygarden
  • goldylocks
  • CoolCrab
  • Frederic Diependaele
  • evilolive

Published

May 10, 2018

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.afar.com/places/st-dot-anna-tunnel-antwerpen
  • https://www.visitantwerpen.be/en/transport-antwerp/pedestrian-and-cyclists-tunnel
  • http://app.livethe.world/activities/St.-Anna's-Tunnel-(Sint-Annatunnel)
St. Anna's Tunnel
Sint-Annatunnel
Antwerp
Belgium
51.21969, 4.392124
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Semini Sculpture

Antwerp, Belgium

miles away

Cafe Beveren

Antwerp, Belgium

miles away

Plantin-Moretus Museum of Printing

Antwerp, Belgium

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Antwerp

Antwerp

Belgium

Places 15
Stories 3

Nearby Places

Semini Sculpture

Antwerp, Belgium

miles away

Cafe Beveren

Antwerp, Belgium

miles away

Plantin-Moretus Museum of Printing

Antwerp, Belgium

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Antwerp

Antwerp

Belgium

Places 15
Stories 3

Related Places

  • Boolboonda Train Tunnel

    Boolboonda, Australia

    Boolboonda Train Tunnel

    The longest manmade tunnel in Queensland is now a beautiful trail, home to a special colony of bent-wing bats.

  • Thurgoland Tunnel.

    Thurgoland, England

    Thurgoland Tunnel

    A repurposed railway tunnel with otherworldly acoustic characteristics.

  • Restored tunnel entrance.

    Wallace, Idaho

    Pulaski Tunnel Trail

    This trail leads to a mine that was used as a sanctuary during the Great Fire of 1910.

  • Graffiti railroad tracks.

    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

    Beechview-Seldom Seen Greenway

    This secluded walking trail is a hidden gem of a Pittsburgh park.

  • One of many tunnel portals on Alcoy Greenway.

    Alcoy, Spain

    Alcoy and Maigmó Greenways

    A dictator's failed public works project has been reborn as two linked trails through spectacular scenery.

  • The western end of the tunnel looking east.

    Rockmart, Georgia

    Braswell Mountain Rail Tunnel

    An abandoned railroad tunnel forgotten by time awaits inquisitive hikers.

  • Ice Formations in Stewart Tunnel.

    Belleville, Wisconsin

    Stewart Tunnel Ice Formations

    Every winter, the wind carves blocks of frozen water into beautiful abstract shapes inside this unusually curved tunnel.

  • Silhouettes of bats flying around the Phoenix Bat Cave.

    Phoenix, Arizona

    Phoenix Bat Cave

    Thousands of Mexican Free-Tailed Bats soar around an abandoned storm drain at sunset each summer.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.