At the Doorntje on the Plasveld

The Plasveldweg refers to the swampy fields through which it runs. Every wet winter the water pours down in deep gullies. The field itself is traditionally called the Vlasrodeveld. Vlas comes from the medieval word Vlaas which means wet spot and red from cleared forest. In fact, the old and new names mean exactly the same thing: 'wet field'.At the intersection with a field road that leads upwards, there was a hawthorn with a chapel of Our Lady in it. This chapel was popularly known as 'het Doorntje'. This is where prayers were held in May, people stopped during the Crusade Days marches and the youth secretly made dates.On 17 August 1940, an outpost of the Belgian army had been set up along this uphill road. From here, hidden in the trenches, the enemy could be seen from afar. That evening there was a clash with some observation posts along the Tiensebaan, which held up the enemy. At night the Belgians withdrew in silence to St.-Joris-Winge. Wersbeek was ablaze.Source: bekkevoort.be/erfgoedwandel-molenbeek-aan-het-doorntje-op-het-plasveld

Beautiful views over the fields...