The abandoned village of Doel and its amazing street art

Doel is a 700-year-old village near the Scheldt River in Belgium. Now it is on the verge of demolition. The only reason is that it is located too close to the port of Antwerp. Sometime in the 1970s, it was decided to expand the port of Antwerp, and Doel quickly became a target for demolition. The construction of a large dock and a cargo terminal capable of receiving deep sea vessels has already begun near the village.

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1. When the plans to demolish the village were announced, the residents resisted and successfully delayed this moment for several decades, but the authorities were very persistent.

2. In 2008, a police detachment was sent to the village to forcibly evict people from there.

3. Now the once prosperous village looks like post-war streets in ruins and desolation.

4. Many residents have already moved out, but someone else is holding on to their native place. When the inhabitants began to leave, a new type of inhabitants reached out to the village - artists from all over Europe. And they gradually began to turn Doel into a huge living canvas.

5. Now entire facades and walls of buildings are painted with huge graffiti.

6. Maybe there are no people in the village, but the huge colorful graffiti noticeably revived it.

7. For most of her long history, Doel enjoyed a peaceful and culturally rich existence.

8. The village is full of old buildings, including the oldest stone mill in the country (1611) and the only mill on the wall (1613) - the property of the famous 18th century artist Peter Paul Rubens.

9. The village is also known for the fact that there is a nuclear power plant not far from it.

10. The "war" between the inhabitants of the village and the authorities has been going on for 40 years, but the demolition still seems inevitable, since less than 200 people remain in the village.

11. The last warning to residents was made more than two years ago, so for sure in the near future the village of Doel and its amazing street art will cease to exist.

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