Truck Crashes Into Historic Belgian Mansion in Booischot

A truck loaded with small forklifts plowed into an 18th-century historic mansion in the center of Booischot, Belgium, early Friday morning, causing the building’s facade to collapse and the first floor and roof to cave in. Remarkably, no casualties were reported—the residents had left on vacation just hours before the incident, according to VRT NWS.

The accident occurred at approximately 5:00 AM on the Dorpsstraat in Booischot, a sub-municipality of Heist-op-den-Berg in Belgium’s Antwerp province. The truck first struck two parked cars before crashing into the facade of Huis Dens, a historic mansion built in 1754. The impact completely destroyed the side wall, and the truck cab ended up buried under the rubble.

A Chain Reaction of Collisions

The crash kicked up a massive dust cloud that momentarily blinded a passing driver, who then drove into the already-stopped truck. The truck driver and his passenger managed to exit the cab on their own but were taken to hospital for precautionary checks. The second driver emerged unharmed, as RTV reported.

“There is considerable damage to the house, but fortunately the residents were not home. They had just left on vacation last night,” said Jana De Roover of police zone Heist.

The truck driver passed a negative breathalyzer test, and a traffic expert has been called in to investigate the exact cause of the accident. A stability engineer must assess the building before the truck can be towed away.

A Historic Landmark Destroyed

Huis Dens, located at Dorpsstraat 64, was no ordinary house. Built in 1753-1754 by Franciscus Dens, a notary in Booischot, the mansion holds a unique place in Belgian history. According to local historical tradition, during the Belgian Revolution of 1830, Jenneval—the author of the original text of the Brabançonne, Belgium’s national anthem—declaimed the text for the first time within its walls, in the presence of Count Louis Frederic de Merode, as documented by RTV.

The Dens family also operated a brewery on the premises from 1838, producing beers including Gersten, Famos, Faro 13, and Kempisch blond for over a century, until the brewery was bought out by Stella Artois in 1954, according to heritage records from Berg en Nete. The house later served as a family doctor’s residence for generations, bearing the Aesculapius symbol at its front door.

Community Grief Over Lost Heritage

The destruction has deeply affected the local community. Local historian Paul Van Hemeledonck, who lives just meters from the property and gave tours of the mansion, expressed profound sorrow. “This was the most important house of Booischot for me,” he told HLN. “I gave tours here through the local history circle and told the story to visitors every time. To see it like this… I was really shocked.”

Jos De Smedt, a former resident and family doctor whose great-grandfather built the house, was equally affected. “The family history is in that house. It means an enormous amount to me,” he said. “I lived in the house, worked there, and played there as a child.”

Van Hemeledonck fears the damage may be irreparable. “I don’t think this can be recovered anymore,” he said. “Today we lose a piece of Booischot’s history. That touches me. But the most important thing is of course that nobody was seriously injured.”

Road Closure and Investigation

The N15 road between Heist-op-den-Berg and Westerlo was completely closed in both directions at Booischot following the crash. Mayor Van Noten stated that the disruption will last for a while. Neighbors described being woken by the loud crash, with one resident initially thinking it was a heavy thunderstorm.

Jurgen Peeters, whose seven-year-old Peugeot was completely destroyed in the crash, described the scene: “I heard a loud bang. At first I thought it was thunder or a burglary. But then a second bang followed and I went to look. Then I saw my car sticking out from under the truck. It’s completely destroyed.”

Security camera footage from a neighbor captured the entire sequence of events, showing the truck veering off the road and plowing into the historic building, as HLN reported.

What’s Next

The immediate priority for emergency services is stabilizing the damaged structure and safely removing the truck from the rubble. The cause of the accident remains under investigation by a traffic expert. For the community of Booischot, however, the loss extends beyond the physical damage—a piece of Belgian national heritage, connected to the very origins of the country’s anthem, has been severely compromised.

As Van Hemeledonck reflected: “It’s not just an old house. There’s a whole story behind it.” The question now is whether that story can ever be told within those walls again.