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The Dikken van Pamel is a beacon in Pamel along the Dender river, a mammoth of a landmark.

It's said that a man once passed through Pamel who was so tall and heavy that he defied the boundaries of the ordinary. Victor De Klerck, almost two meters tall and weighing, according to some, up to three hundred kilos, early on became a figure whispered about rather than spoken. On hot summer days, he would slide into the Dender River, and anyone who saw him swore he floated as if the river itself carried him. Passing boatmen carried the story along, and with every bend in the towpath, it became a little more fantastical. On Sundays, he appeared in church, where he needed three chairs—a figure that, generations later, still whispers through the village. And yet, despite his mythical stature, he stubbornly refused every circus director who wanted to exhibit him. As if he knew that some riddles are not meant for the public. Today, his statue stands by the Dender, not as certainty but as a question mark. A quiet reminder that sometimes, only one river flows between fact and fiction.

For cyclists, it's a close call. The towpath is narrower than other towpaths. And especially during the week, you'll be weaving between hikers, runners, recreational cyclists, and athletic cyclists.

« Dikken van Pamel » VICTOR DE KLERCQ

This is an interesting statue, it has no head. Located on the edge of Pamel

At the Werf in Aalst stands the memorial to Father Daens, ceremonially unveiled in 1957, exactly 50 years after his death. Designed by Marc De Bruyn, the statue depicts Daens among workers and a mother with her child – a symbol of the hope and comfort he brought to the working class. The inscription on the monument reads: “Neither a slave nor a beggar may be a worker. He must be a free and prosperous man.” Financed by his followers, this monument remains a powerful tribute to the social struggle and ideals of Father Daens (1839–1907).

This small place of worship on the Dender River has a turbulent history. According to tradition, it was founded as early as 681 by Saint Amand after the discovery of a miraculous statue. After repeated destruction and reconstruction, it was given its current, simple yet modern appearance in 1955-56, designed by Stani De Neef and Alfons Singelijn. A place that exudes simplicity, yet simultaneously breathes centuries-old devotion and tradition.

The Benedictine Abbey of Affligem, located on the border of Brabant and Flanders, owes its origins to six warriors who were moved by the preaching of Wedericus, a monk from Ghent's St. Peter's Abbey. Through the efforts of Saint Anno, Archbishop of Cologne, they settled, probably in 1062, in the hamlet of Affligem, on land belonging to the minor German Count Palatine Herman II, whose guardian was the archbishop. Another Frankish settlement had already existed there: Abulingaheim, which means "home of the people of Abulo or Avilo." Intrigued to explore the abbey? Click through to https://abdijaffligem.wordpress.com/2017/03/17/affligem-door-de-eeuwen-heen/