Fancy a breath of fresh air and a good dose of heritage? Then go for a walk in Nieuwmoer, a charming village in the Kempen. The walk ' Oep de Nieuwmoer' takes you along beautiful nature and tells you stories about old crafts, striking village figures and the landscape of the past. Everything you need is in the ErfgoedApp — just download, put in your earphones and start walking!
In preparation for the ErfgoedApp -tour we set out on a sunny day. Guide Frans Van Dyck enthusiastically led the young people of Chiro Sloepi around. The volunteers of Tourism Kalmthout, our photographer and myself also joined us. We were all curious about the stories and anecdotes that would come to life along the way. And they didn't take long!
“ Who knows what peat is? ”
That question immediately set the tone. Here in the region, everyone knows the statue of De Turfsteker next to the church. It is a perfect opportunity to talk about the peat landscape that determined life here for centuries. In the 14th century, the entire region was covered by a thick layer of peat, which was later extracted as peat for fuel. What remained after the exploitation? A wet, treeless plain full of peat canals and ditches. Farmers had to be creative to make the land fertile again — and they did, with trial and error.
In the ErfgoedApp you can choose whether you listen to the explanation of our guide or to one of the youngsters of the Chiro. And as if that is not fun enough, Eagle Owl also walks with us! This cheerful owl watches whether you answer the quiz questions correctly along the way. But be careful: do not think too long, because Eagle Owl must be able to keep up with the group …
We stop at the place where the house of Jef Augustijns, the village cartwright, once stood. He made wooden carts, dump trucks and tools for the farmers. When metal carts made their entrance, his craft seemed over, but Jef quickly switched and became a tree sawyer. A little further on, our guide tells us about blacksmith Alois Aerts, who learned the trade from his father and even took two years of lessons in Anderlecht — every day by bike there and back!
What makes this walk extra special? The Chiro youth are not just participants — they are true heritage ambassadors. Thanks to the ErfgoedApp they will now tell walkers themselves what they have learned: about peat extraction, crafts, and the colorful characters of Nieuwmoer. In this way, the past remains very much alive, and is passed on to the next generation with great enthusiasm.
ErfgoedApp