Scheepswerf Van Praet-Van Damme
THE ABANDONED SHIPYARD IN BELGIUM
‘Scheepswerf Van Praet-Van Damme’ is an old shipyard in Baasrode. Today it is a museum, but it has a long history. The former shipyard is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, fully preserved Flemish shipyard with dry docks, workshops, offices, warehouses, and tools.
Baasrode village boasts a long-standing ship-building history. Ship-builders were already working there in the 16th century. By 1764, there were 5 shipyards in Baasrode, each with 5 employees. Unfortunately, after the Belgian Revolution in 1830, the Dutch shut down the Schelde river, leading to the closure of the yards. By 1860, only two shipyards remained: those belonging to the Van Praet and Van Damme families. Van Damme started in 1827, while neighbor Van Praet began as early as 1721.
The workshop is made up of three studios that were built in 1895, 1898, and 1903, and there’s an extension from 1908.
Merge
Both shipyards experienced fluctuating activity in the 19th century, but ultimately thrived. In 1894, Van Damme began building iron ships, hiring around twenty metalworkers from Willebroek to familiarize local shipbuilders with the new machines and techniques. Van Praet followed suit a year later.
World wars
During the outbreak of the First World War, the shipyards had a combined workforce of around two hundred people. The significant loss of ship tonnage during the war led to a true revival of both companies during the interwar period. Following the Second World War, there was a demand for larger ships, which the small wharf was unable to meet. In 1955, Van Damme sold the site to their neighbor Van Praet. The combined company thrived until the late 1970s, when land transport via trucks began to dominate over water transport. In the final years, it mostly focused on ship repairs.
Eventually, the financial situation became unsustainable, and the last shipyard in Baasrode shut down in 1986. By 1990, the city had purchased the site, ensuring that the buildings and docks were preserved. The old director’s house of Van Damme is now a museum. I took these photos of the old shipyard in 2007.
