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Historical sites

Historical sites

The village center of Bokrijk in Haspengouw - Wikimedia Commons, photo by Bart Bosmans

Bokrijk Open-Air Museum

The decision to protect cultural heritage often comes only when that heritage is in danger of disappearing. In the first half of the 20th century, no highways yet crisscrossed the Flemish countryside, and ribbon development had only just begun to gain ground. Yet some people noted that a way of life,

The interior of the Gravenkapel - © Wikimedia Commons

The Counts' Chapel

The Counts’ Chapel is part of the Church of Our Lady in Kortrijk. The Flemish Count Louis of Male had it built in 1371. The chapel owes its name to the niches containing painted portraits of the counts of Flanders, who from the 9th to the early 15th century were a (relatively)

Gravestone of Abraham Neuman, born in Poland, 1917 – Wikimedia Commons, photo by Moïse Abramovitch

Dieweg Jewish Cemetery

Anyone who goes to live abroad may also die there. It is no coincidence that perhaps the oldest physical trace of the Jewish presence in Belgium is a gravestone dating from 1255–1256. It was found in Tienen and bears a Hebrew inscription: “A stone was engraved and placed at the head of

The start of the Tour of Flanders in 1928 - KOERS. Cycling Museum, Roeselare

The Old Kwaremont

On the first weekend of April, crowds line the Oude Kwaremont. The cobblestone climb in Kluisbergen is a major crowd-puller for one of the most important cycling races of the year: the Tour of Flanders. It has only been part of the course since 1974. But in recent years, it has

Always free, never taken for granted: V-bombs in Antwerp

Always free, never taken for granted: V-bombs in Antwerp

On September 4, 1944, the long-awaited day finally arrives. After a four-year occupation that seems to have lasted an eternity, Antwerp is finally liberated by the Allied forces. What the people of Antwerp do not realize at that moment is that their torment is not yet over. In the dark

The guild houses “Den Cruywagen” (tanners) and “Den Sack” (carpenters and coopers) on Brussels’ Grand Place - © Wikimedia Commons, photo by Pol Mayer

Trade guilds

As early as the 11th century, informal organizations of people with the same profession or trade began to emerge in the Low Countries. These artisans often lived together in the same streets and neighborhoods of medieval towns. In the regions that today make up Flanders, they were primarily active in the food supply, the textile sector, the construction sector, the

Visitors are drawn to an Indian elephant, 1970s - © Antwerp City Archives

Antwerp Zoo

Flanders has thirteen accredited zoos. None of them has as rich a history as Antwerp ZOO. It was founded in 1843 as the country’s very first zoo. From the very beginning, Antwerp ZOO has primarily been a place where people go to relax and watch animals in captivity