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Belgium

Flanders

Flemish Brabant

Leuven

Bierbeek

Groot Park

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Places to see

Belgium

Flanders

Flemish Brabant

Leuven

Bierbeek

Groot Park

Recommended by 28 hikers out of 29

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Location: Bierbeek, Leuven, Flemish Brabant, Flanders, Belgium

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Best Hikes to Groot Park

4.1

(14)

hikers

1. Sint-Ermelindis Chapel – Koebos Nature Reserve loop from Boutersem

11.7km

03:01

60m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

4.2

(13)

hikers

2. Koebos Nature Reserve – Sint-Ermelindis Chapel loop from Lovenjoel

9.26km

02:23

40m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

4.7

(7)

hikers

3. Hollow Way – Groot Park loop from Lovenjoel

7.64km

01:59

50m

Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Easy

Tips

Els Q

May 15, 2022

The Groot Park in Lovenjoel is private property, but accessible on the marked trails.

In 1649 the de Spoelberch family acquired the village of Lovenjoel. Their 25 ha domain stretched into the valley of the Molenbeek, where they built a castle at the ends. The large castle de Spoelberch is located in the Groot Park, west of the church. The 'little' castle, or the Felixhof, is located in the Klein Park, east of the church.

The last, the Spoelberchs, had a great interest in dendrology and planted various rare tree species. In the Groot Park and the Klein Park there are still unique trees such as swamp cypress, rare species of oak, beech, a zelkova and a magnolia grandiflora.

After the last scion died childless, the domains came into the possession of the University of Leuven in 1915, who in turn leased the domain to the Sisters of Charity of Ghent. They built an institution for mentally ill women and psychiatry students, Salve Mater, in Groot Park on the north side.

The possibilities to continue working on modern and efficient psychiatric care within this framework became less and less good. It was therefore decided to have all patients leave for other institutions or transition homes from the 1990s. The buildings came into the hands of VIRIX from 2008, who, while respecting their monumental character, are converting the historic buildings into modern lofts with limited space downstairs for services and service companies.

Translated by Google •

December 7, 2024

Park of approximately 23 hectares, created around a mill pond and a house of pleasure built around 1750, redesigned in 1836-1837 in a landscape style, but with the preservation of numerous linear geometric elements, such as the avenue pattern of the 'bosquet', in which the pavilions of the psychiatric clinic 'Salve Mater' were built in 1926; the valley floor of the Molenbeek is the main sight line; exceptional collection of old and rare trees.

Inventory of Immovable Heritage: Het Groot Park, id.erfgoed.net/erfgoedobjecten/300760

Translated by Google •

December 7, 2024

The Molenbeek forms the main axis of both the 'Groot Park' and the 'Klein Park'. The valley floor consists of wet, loamy soils and a number of peaty, wooded source zones. Characteristic of these source zones are species-rich vegetation with specific plants such as bitter field cress (Cardamine amara), scattered-leaved golden saxifrage (Chrysosplenium alternifolium), wood loosestrife (Lysimachia nemorum) and large spring seed (Impatiens noli-tangere). The greatest wealth of plants was found in the valley section between the park of Salve Mater and the village centre of Korbeek-Lo (231 species of vascular plants on barely 50 hectares). During the first half of the 19th century, a number of estates in this valley were redeveloped. Quite modest in size and mainly geared towards yield – the immediate surroundings of a village court (the Klein Park) or a farm with a watermill (the Groot Park) – they grew into more or less extensive parks in early landscape style. Large parts of the former meadows were incorporated – more correctly – reframed or 'landscaped', because the former land use (hay and/or grazing meadow) remained largely unchanged. Ecologically speaking, little changed. None of these parks (even now) form a real break in the stream valley ecosystem. A large part of the stream valley flora can still be found in both the Groot and the Klein Park. One geobotanical anomaly, namely alpine currant (Ribes alpinum), which occurs throughout the valley, was probably introduced via the park construction.

Inventory of Immovable Heritage: Het Groot Park, id.erfgoed.net/erfgoedobjecten/300760

Translated by Google •

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Elevation 90 m

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Monday 15 September

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Take Me There

Location: Bierbeek, Leuven, Flemish Brabant, Flanders, Belgium

Groot Park

1. Sint-Ermelindis Chapel – Koebos Nature Reserve loop from Boutersem

2. Koebos Nature Reserve – Sint-Ermelindis Chapel loop from Lovenjoel

3. Hollow Way – Groot Park loop from Lovenjoel

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