Magdalena walk

This 12.5-kilometer walk connects the Chapel of Mary Magdalene in Vaalbeek with the Sacred Heart Institute of the Annunciation Sisters and Park Abbey in Heverlee. You’ll learn more about these magnificent gems of our cultural heritage. You’ll walk through Heverleebos, which has been well-preserved thanks to the ownership of the Croÿ family and the Dukes of Arenberg. You’ll also follow the Grezweg, which once connected Leuven with what later became Walloon Brabant. Along the way, you’ll discover the role of the former counts and dukes and the influence of Park Abbey on our region. The Chapel of Mary Magdalene is a lasting testament to Goswijn III, who set out on a crusade in 1217 and asked the Abbey of Park Heverlee to build a chapel to pray for his safe return.
Use the ErfgoedApp your phone as a guide on your walk and delve deeper into the information once you’re back home.
©Oud-Heverlee Historical and Local History Society. Design and development: Lieve Delaere and Albert Servranckx; Texts and maps: Paul Coeckelbergh, Ria Christens, Hugo Dehennin, and Ernst Gülcher

📏 12 km or 6 km + bus ride
⭐ easy
📍 Vaalbeek, but possible at any point along the tour
🏁 same starting point; on foot or by bus