ピッテムの洞窟・トップ13

A very large forest with various amenities, including a tea room and restaurant. There's also a herb garden and a farm where you can buy ice cream.

very nice and quiet area

After the Tillegembos (Bruges) and the Palingbeek (Ypres), the Lippensgoed-Bulskampveld became the third provincial domain of West Flanders. In 1970, 201 ha of forest, agricultural land, park, castle and associated farms were purchased and opened to the public after construction and development. The Lippensgoed-Bulskampveld was the largest public domain in West Flanders for a long time. In the 1980s, the castle garden was transformed into a didactic herb garden and the exhibition of agricultural materials in galleries around the herb garden was established. In 1990, one of the leased farms within the provincial domain became available. In order to increase the recreational opportunities, various afforestations were carried out there and new avenues were created. With an additional acquisition of 17 ha in 1992, the surface area was increased to 218 ha. About 10 years later, in 2003, 6 ha of St-Amandus were rented and integrated into the existing domain via an educational nature trail. Finally, in 2005, about 8 ha of forest were purchased and added to the public domain, bringing the total to 232 ha. (Province of West Flanders)

You can see the side and back of Ooigem Castle from the Oude Leie; the front from the entrance gate on Desselgemsestraat. On an information board on site you will find this explanation: A castle was possibly built here in the 9th century to protect Harelbeke. The oldest known lord was mentioned in 1080 as Lambertus de Odenghem. Around 1260, the castle came into the possession of the lords of Luxembourg. They probably had a stone castle built in the 13th century. At the end of the 14th century, a fire is said to have raged and in the course of the 15th century the castle fell into disrepair. In 1510, the lordship was sold to the De Gros family, who made it habitable again. In 1576, however, the castle was plundered by iconoclasts and fell into disrepair again. During the 17th century, the castle was rebuilt on the old foundations, probably by order of Charles de Gros, the first regular resident. In 1693, the castle came into the hands of the De Lens family as an inheritance. A chapel and a Louis XV-style staircase were added, the salons were redecorated, new stables and coach houses appeared in the farmyard. The park was laid out. Petrus Verhaeghe, mayor of Ooigem, lived in the castle after the French Revolution and in 1889 Bernard Verhaeghe, who was mayor of Ooigem at the time, bought the castle. His son Alfons Verhaeghe was visited several times by Oscar Wilde. 'Op het kasteel', the story by Stijn Streuvels from 1904, is also set in this castle. In 1937, a number of farm buildings in the farmyard were demolished, but the dovecote remained. The garden was redesigned, on a smaller scale than before. According to literature, the domain once housed prisons, storage areas for payments in kind, courtrooms and council chambers.

Today, parts of the castle are rented out as a venue for corporate events, seminars, parties, and more. Extensive work has been carried out for this purpose over the past quarter century. Mr. Marc Van Honsebrouck, who died last year at the age of 89, had lived in the castle with his family since 1986, and had already commissioned renovations around the turn of the century. But disaster struck shortly afterward. On September 20, 2001, at 1:45 a.m., a fire broke out. Fortunately, Mr. Marc and his family managed to escape, but the entire left wing, both the ground floor and the upper floor, was completely destroyed. Although the fire department arrived very quickly, many priceless works of art were lost in the fire. The building itself suffered greatly, but the skill of the firefighters managed to stop the all-consuming flames. The grief over this terrible event was palpable far beyond the castle grounds. In 2012, Mr. Marc Van Honsebrouk decided to take over the castle's entire care and bought out his brother, who had been co-owner until then. His plan was to breathe new life into the castle, which had only been made wind- and watertight after the fire. The result of the past few years is the magnificent halls that shine again. Sources: https://kasteelvaningelmunster.be/ https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20230824_96366895

The origin of the name "Ingelmunster" most likely lies in the history of this castle. The castle was built on the ruins of a seventh-century monastery. In 740, the monastery was reportedly inhabited by English monks, who gave it their name: Anglo Monaterum, Engelmunster, or Ingelmunster, meaning "Monastery of the Angels." In 855, the monastery fell prey to the Normans, the feared rulers of the sea. They plundered and burned the monastery. Little more than a ruin remained of the "Monastery of the Angels." The first Flemish ruler to establish a political presence in West Flanders was Robert I the Frisian, the tenth Count of Flanders. His reign lasted from 1071 to 1093, and he had the fortified castle built on the site of the ruins. Ingelmunster's location, on the doorstep of West Flanders and along the waterway that crossed the military route between Kortrijk and Bruges, was of such strategic importance that it was called the "Key to Flanders." Ingelmunster Castle, which at that time was still a veritable "lock," offered the key to unlocking a tactical advantage. Source: https://kasteelvaningelmunster.be/historiek-kasteel/

to eat and walk

According to a former resident, the castle has recently become uninhabited and is for sale.