War Memorial Peasant War Herentals

The Battle of Herentals started on October 28, 1798, the brigands (Flemish rebels) had already been informed that the French troops were approaching and they prepared and took strategic positions at the Wittenberg, a hill just outside the city center of Herentals.
Around noon the French arrived at the city. They attacked the city via the Sassenhout Bridge, Watervoort and also the Wittenberg where they drove the brigands back to the Kleine Nete and the Nederpoort, one of the then city gates.
Here the fighting started in the city where the brigands shot at the French soldiers from the houses. The French were driven back to just outside the Nederpoort and then they decided to use their cannons to destroy the houses where the brigands were hiding. a major fire that even reduced the Augustinian monastery to ashes.
The headquarters of the brigands was also bombarded with cannons. The leaders of the city begged the French to stop the cannon fire and the brigands withdrew to the Grote Markt where they prepared an escape plan. They decided to withdraw to Geel. After the rebels had withdrawn, General Bonardi decided to plunder the city for 2 hours and then leave the city at 4 p.m. with 11 prisoners of war towards Antwerp.

In 1898, a four-meter-high monument was erected at the Lakenhal, commemorating the battle of Herentals on Sunday, October 28, 1798.
It was designed by Ernest Dieltjens and executed by sculptor F. Deckers and ornamentalists Kerckx and Dupont.
It consists of a bluestone base with a round sandstone column ending in a neo-Gothic crown with a calvary and Arma Christi. In front of the column is an image of a brigand with a flag and a raised hand.
On the pedestal: "1798-1898 / to the heroes of the peasant war" and at the back the names of the municipalities involved in the creation of the monument.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Marie-Christine Vinck