A rare example of wooden escalators in Europe.
The Sint-Anna or pedestrian tunnel in Antwerp connects Linkeroever (Scheldt left bank) to the city center on the right bank. The tunnel was inaugurated in 1932 and immediately proved successful for the city's dockworkers. Even today, the tunnel is frequented by pedestrians and bikers looking to cross the river.
In order to transport travelers from the surface to the underground tunnel, both elevators and wooden escalators were built. In the interest of restoring the listed monument in a responsible way, a preliminary investigation was carried out by Remmen BV which focused on archival, material-technical and stratigraphical research.
The interior and technical installations, together with the Maas tunnels in Rotterdam (NL) and Macy's Herald Square escalators (USA), are part of the only wooden escalators still in operation worldwide.
The results of the investigation, will be used for the restoration of this remarkable monument. In this manner, the restoration can be carried out with special care for the heritage value of the technical installation and finishing layers, while also ensuring that the operation of this well traveled tunnel be preserved.
