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All Belgium Bassenge Tower of Eben-Ezer
AO Edited

Tower of Eben-Ezer

A Belgian self-built tower inspired by the Bible and ancient civilizations.

Bassenge, Belgium

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mrobscurity
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Tower of Eben-Ezer   gingercinnamon
  Mark Ahsmann
  gingercinnamon / Atlas Obscura User
Here, Taurus the bull, one of the four cherubs atop the turrets, looks northwest towards the Jeker Valley of the Netherlands.   William Blake. 2010 Photography. (Atlas Obscura user)
Situated at the intersection of Wallonia, Flanders, and the southern tip of Limburg, the top of Garcet’s tower offers sweeping views of the nearby Jeker Valley, and the quarries from which his magnum opus was built.   William Blake. 2010 Photography. (Atlas Obscura user)
  bigvolts / Atlas Obscura User
  gingercinnamon / Atlas Obscura User
  bigvolts / Atlas Obscura User
“Le Fusil Brisé.” Built in the aftermath of the second World War, Garcet’s Tour d’Eben-Ezer integrates his pacifism into his fascination with biblical imagery.   William Blake. 2010 Photography. (Atlas Obscura user)
The front of the tower   Crapai
Art in the sculpture garden   dorobuettgen / Atlas Obscura User
The end of the staircase at the top of the tower   dorobuettgen / Atlas Obscura User
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About

The Tower of Eben-Ezer is a self-built castle constructed in the 1960s by a single man in the isolated Jeker valley of Belgium. The builder, Robert Garcet, was fascinated with the Bible, numerology, and ancient civilizations.

The entire seven-level tower is built of flint, and according to Garcet, was designed using ancient mystical measurements. On the top of the tower are four giant biblical animals, and the interior is full of Garcet's biblical, archaeological, paleontological, and geological art.

Even more curious is that although the tower only looks ancient, it sits on top of a vast network of truly ancient tunnels. Garcet claims to have discovered over a hundred "new" fossilized creatures and a 70 million-year-old village in the labyrinth of tunnels under the tower! Unfortunately, the village was destroyed by a mining explosion before it could be studied.

A new educational space called the Le Musée du Silex (Museum of Flint) takes the visitor on a tour of the history and use of the flint stone. Individual admission allows entrance to several levels of the tower and gardens, and a xeroxed informational guide, available in French, Dutch, and English.

 

 

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Sacred Spaces Eccentric Homes Outsider Architecture Obscura Day Locations Ruins Homes

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 Payment for the museum can only be taken by Contactless (NFC) payments. No card chips, swipes, or cash can be used for payment. 

Community Contributors

Added By

mrobscurity

Edited By

kostas1964ath, meisterbeckhart, Cui, Annetta Black...

  • kostas1964ath
  • meisterbeckhart
  • Cui
  • Annetta Black
  • wblake89
  • Meg
  • gingercinnamon
  • jonathancarey
  • dorobuettgen
  • bigvolts

Published

August 25, 2011

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  • Great blog entry about a visit to the tower:
  • http://crazycrishereandthere.blogspot.com/2009/09/journees-du-patrimoine-tour-eben-ezer.html
  • http://www.wallonie-tourisme.be/informations/tourist_attractions_eben_emael__eben_ezer_tower___flint_museum__musee_du_silex_asbl_/en/V/38614.html
Tower of Eben-Ezer
9 Haie de Wonck
Bassenge, 4690
Belgium
50.776163, 5.6495
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Fort Eben-Emael

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Photo of Bassenge

Bassenge

Belgium

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