メルクスプラスでののおすすめグラベルライド

Beautiful avenue with a cycle and walking path; the avenue leads towards the abbey.

Path through the forest towards the abbey and brewery of Westmalle.

Beautiful walking and cycling path through an avenue.

pleasant picnic area with brand new oak benches, both under cover and outdoors.

Larger covered rest area at the intersection of Poppelseweg and several hiking and cycling paths.

It's always worth taking a closer look...

Generations of castle lords and the village community have cared for the magnificent heritage we have today. We must cherish this legacy with care. Everyone has a responsibility in this regard: the government, the owners, and certainly also the visitors. We all want to safeguard this for future generations. VORSELAAR: Proposal to protect the castle "de Borrekens", the rectory, the immediate surroundings of the castle, and the linden avenue as a village landmark. The castle was built in the thirteenth century as a military fortification for the Duke of Brabant, granted as a fief to the Lord Van Rotselaer. The latter gave the fortification, which had the character of a moated castle, the ground plan that can still largely be seen today. Little is known about its evolution since the thirteenth century. The castle is depicted in a print by Ertinger in the second half of the seventeenth century and published by Jacques Le Roy. This shows that the current castle's core still largely reflects this condition. The building's military character was lost in the eighteenth century, and it was converted into a "house of pleasure." This involved the demolition of several surrounding walls and defensive towers, and the moat separating the forecourt from the castle was filled in. Simultaneously or shortly before, several embellishments were carried out on the castle, with J.P. van Baurscheit as the architect. The buildings in the forecourt were constructed during the same period. In the 1850s and 1860s, restoration work was carried out in keeping with the fashion of the time. Several dormers, stepped gables, fireplaces, turrets, and battlements were added in the Neo-Gothic style. The interior was also altered during this period and in the same style. Although this renovation significantly altered the castle's appearance, the renovation itself is remarkable as a testament to the Neo-Gothic style that emerged in our region around 1850.

A silent witness to the history of the Wortel Colony. This former prison recalls the strictly regulated living and working conditions of the colony, where the poor and vagrants were housed and forced into labor. Stroll past this historic building and experience the special atmosphere of a place that once shaped the daily lives of many.