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Information board The history of the Fonteyn pits

Information board The history of the Fonteyn pits

Highlight • Monument

Information board The history of the Fonteyn pits

Recommended by 40 hikers out of 41

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

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Best Hikes to Information board The history of the Fonteyn pits

4.6

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1. Meanders of the Dijle – Laakbos loop from Werchter

12.9km

03:14

20m

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

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Moderate

4.5

(11)

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2. Meanders of the Dijle – Gravel at the Dijle loop from Werchter

8.05km

02:01

10m

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

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Moderate

5.0

(4)

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3. Grindwegeltje – Beaver Dam in Laekdal loop from Tremelo

4.07km

01:02

10m

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

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Tips

Viviane

August 3, 2022

Always interesting if you are interested in the history of the area

Translated by Google •

July 11, 2025

The story of these former peat pits begins as it often does. Once upon a time, there was someone with a lot of money, in this case a Leuven annuitant named Prosper Fonteyn.

In 1890, he bought a piece of marshy land, in this case an old meander of the Demer River with a donk (a section that never floods). He built a villa/castle nearby, named 'Villa des Brochets'. He also recruited volunteers to dredge this marshy area with its peat pits. Because that was fuel.

He also had some ponds dug for fish. Prosper was also quite a sociable fellow; every year he organized a competition for line fishermen, to which people came by special trams, even from quite a distance.

In 1914, the Germans set fire to his castle. After the war, it was rebuilt, and you can still see it from the marsh.

At that time, the marsh was somewhat dry, so I was able to go into it a bit. It is located right next to the hiking trail where the information board is located.

Translated by Google •

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Details

Informations

Elevation 10 m

Weather

Saturday 20 December

13°C

4°C

0 %

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Max wind speed: 15.0 km/h

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

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Information board The history of the Fonteyn pits

1. Meanders of the Dijle – Laakbos loop from Werchter

2. Meanders of the Dijle – Gravel at the Dijle loop from Werchter

3. Grindwegeltje – Beaver Dam in Laekdal loop from Tremelo

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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