Franciscan nuns lived in this building for centuries, and today this historic homestead houses a cheese factory. Their now world-famous "Grevenbroecker Blauschimmelkäse" won the renowned "Caseus Award" in 2009, which is considered the world championship for cheese.

The milk comes from their own cows, which graze on the region's grass and clover pastures. The cheese is made here as it was 500 years ago: a natural product made from raw milk that contains no additives apart from salt.

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February 18, 2024

Catharinadal Cheese Factory is a widely known cheese factory with an eagerly visited shop in buildings based on the remains of a former Franciscan monastery from the fifteenth century. In this family business you will not find mass production but a traditional approach that only works with raw, unpasteurized milk. The range of different types of cheeses is overwhelmingly large, despite the traditional approach. And then I didn't even mention the ice cream, yogurts and so on. The family business has also won several awards, including for products and innovation. There are also guided tours and workshops as you can read at toerisme-hamont-achel.be/groups/trial-doe-en-leer/kaasmakerij-catharinadal-achel And the historical context and explanation around the store are also to enjoy.

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February 18, 2024

Cheese factory Catharinadal is located in a farm that was built on the remains of the Catharinadal monastery, which was founded in 1432 with the support of Lord Jan van Grevenbroek by two ladies Jacobs and Lamberts van Neerpelt near his hunting lodge on "Gheenebempden". The monastery grounds consisted of a farm, a girls' boarding school, a "remarkable" church with a floor, a bleaching plant and an oil mill. The monastery as an educational institution flourished with foundations in Dommelen and Arendonk. Especially wealthy girls from the region stayed in the boarding school of the monastery, which was surrounded by a stone wall and moat that can still be partly seen. The statue of Saint Anthony of Padua, which is venerated in the parish church of Achel, dates from the monastery. The nuns were expelled by the French in 1789, they also demolished the church. The spider house with vaulted cellar (the last house on the lane) has been preserved. And the remains were converted into the farm where the cheese factory is located today. Source: information boards for the cheese factory.

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Informations

Elevation 40 m

Weather

Wednesday 24 December

-1°C

-6°C

0 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 22.0 km/h

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Location: Hamont-Achel, Maaseik, South Limburg, Flanders, Belgium

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