Roosendael Gatehouse

In the 13th century, Cistercian nuns founded an abbey in the Nete valley. Monastic life flourished there for five centuries. After the French Revolution, the domain evolved into a beautiful country estate with a landscape park. Today Roosendael offers various lodging and meeting formulas in a protected environment. Kempens landscape vzw has already restored many buildings, including the 'pesthuis' close to the banks of the Nete. (Folder of the cycling route)

Roosendael is a youth hostel in Sint-Katelijne-Waver, 5 km north of Mechelen, on the border with Walem. This 800-year-old site along the Grote Nete was once an abbey, later a castle domain. It covers approximately 17 hectares and is designated as a nature reserve on the Regional Plan, partly even as a nature reserve and since 1967 also as a protected landscape. All this is made even more beautiful by the presence of various protected monuments: the so-called Pesthuis (16th century), the Poortgebouw and the Koetshuis (18th century) and the IJskelder (probably 19th century). Most of the historic buildings have recently been restored.
The centuries-old interplay of nature, landscape design and architecture makes Roosendael a fascinating experience today. This certainly also applies to the 19th-century landscape park with its impressive, soon 160-year-old trees, including the two thickest plane trees in Belgium. roosendael.be/historie

Of the old abbey site that was founded here 800 years ago, only the Poortgebouw, Koetshuis, and Pesthuis remain. The French Revolution decided the fate of the Cistercians. The ring moat was unable to stop these villains. Young people can now stay in a youth hostel at this location. The walk takes you along the beautiful English landscape park. A nice place to have something to eat.