From early enclosed docks to a larger harbour
Antwerp’s early nineteenth-century dock expansion began with Napoleon’s 1803 order for a dock, tidal lock and new quays beside the Scheldt. The two basins now known as Bonapartedok and Willemdok became accessible to ships in 1811 and 1812.
A larger dock was constructed farther downstream between 1856 and 1860, forming the centre of today’s Kattendijkdok. Initially the old and new dock complexes remained separate, each with its own lock. Extensions and the Verbindingsdok connected them in 1869.
The names Bonapartedok and Willemdok were adopted in 1903. A commemorative column recalls Napoleon’s role in their construction and Willem I’s transfer of the docks to the city in 1815. These surviving basins help explain how the working port grew beyond its older waterfront.