De Doodendraad / Death Wire

Near the Achelse Kluis and in the Beverbeek dune landscape you will find impressive reconstructions
of the Death Wire. This was a barrier of more than three hundred kilometres built by the Germans
during World War I on the border between Belgium and the Netherlands. The wire, which carried a
deadly electrical voltage, was constructed to prevent people from fleeing from occupied Belgium to
neutral Holland.
The memorial of the wire at De Kluis gives an excellent impression of the impact this German
barricade had on the area and its inhabitants. Information boards along the reconstruction give
visitors additional facts about the original construction in 1916, the many methods employed to
escape from Belgium to the Netherlands and the dramatic stories of events along the Death Wire.
Routes along the Death Wire
Want to explore it for yourself? Here is a route.
For an extended bicycle route, the Border Route (546 kilometres) passes by 23 reconstructions and
monuments, one of which is the Death Wire near Hamont-Achel and Cranendonck. On the website of
the route you will find stories about the victims and the impact of the Death Wire on border
communities. They also have maps and bicycle labels available for download.