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The Herkenrode Abbey site is an interesting combination of culture, history, nature and an ideal starting point for walks.

The main entrance to the abbey is located to the south of the complex. It is a late Gothic gatehouse, built in 1531 by order of Abbess Mechtildis of Lechy. There are two storeys under two intersecting slate saddle roofs with a spire with a pear-shaped crowning at the intersection, dated 1531 (coat of arms on the rear facade) and restored in 1907 (architect G. Rypens) and 1973. Inventory of Immovable Heritage: Herkenrode Abbey, https://id.erfgoed.net/erfgoedobjecten/22246

The Herkenrode abbey site is located in the Demer valley, in a transitional area between the Lage Kempen and Haspengouw, south of the village centre of Stokrooi (Hasselt). It is an extensive historical domain that dates back to the former abbey complex of the Cistercian nuns. To the north of the Demer are the meadows, to the south the old abbey with its appurtenances, the farmyard, the eastern castle park and the other, higher agricultural lands. In addition to unirrigated hay and pasture land, there were also large flood meadows here until the 20th century. The latter were supplied with water via the Tuilterdemer. The abbey was founded in 1182, when Geeraard, Count of Loon, donated his estate Herkenrode to a certain brother Henricus to build a monastery for women. In 1271 the monastic community joined the order of Cîteaux. It became a flourishing enterprise that over the years acquired numerous possessions. The religious purpose came to an end with the departure of the sisters in 1796. At the beginning of the 19th century, the new abbess wing, built in 1768 to the south of the old abbess quarters, was converted into a castle. In the same period, an English garden was laid out on the east side and a front garden on the west side. The 14th-century church burned down in 1826 and was demolished together with the monastery building and the convent buildings in 1843. The buildings and the surrounding grounds formed a single differentiated whole for a long time. Over time, however, they fell into the hands of different owners. In 1972, 11 ha of the former abbey site became the property of the canonesses of the Holy Sepulchre. The property includes the actual remaining abbey buildings with the sisters' quarters, the old abbess quarters, the sacristy, the infirmary, the 18th-century abbess wing and the adjoining landscaped park. Inventory of Immovable Heritage: Herkenrode Abbey Site, https://id.erfgoed.net/erfgoedobjecten/135252

At the end of June 2024, it was announced that architects Arnout Van Vaerenbergh and Pieter-Jan Gijs will resurrect the church and other disappeared buildings on the Herkenrode site. Not quite as fully-fledged buildings, but with the interplay of lines that they are known for and that many have already seen in their see-through church in Borgloon. It should bring the total experience of Herkenrode more closely into line with historical reality and should work perfectly with the buildings that are still there today, making Herkenrode already a tourist attraction. This should be ready in 2026 and you can discover more about it at https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2024/06/27/clausura-herkenrode/

In the church of Averbode Abbey, the Averbode altarpiece can recently be admired again in the context of "Flemish masters in their place". The reredos was purchased 40 years ago by the Antwerp Museum of Antiquities. It is, like any altarpiece, the work of several painters, carpenters and the like. The sculptor or at least coordinator was Jacob van Cothem from Antwerp, where the protected Gothic reredos was purchased. It is a special work of great value and has been displayed in a climate cabinet since the end of November, opposite that other work of art, the painting by Jan Erasmus Quellinus: "Saint Augustine gives his rule to Norbertus". The altarpiece was removed from Averbode for about 150 years and originally stood at the altar of the abbey's previous Gothic church. You see some photos above (details, the cabinet with the complete work and a description plate).

The observation tower was designed by the Ghent-based architectural firm Architecten Delobelle. It is situated in the wooded edge of one of the ponds and offers a view of the hundreds of ponds in the surrounding area. To minimize the impact on the natural environment, they used natural materials, colors, and hues that integrate seamlessly with the green surroundings. In the nature reserve, the observation tower constantly appears in a changing form, with the galvanized steel, wood, and thatch blending seamlessly into the surroundings. The fish, the icon of the Wijers, served as inspiration for the tower. The observation tower leaps out of the water like a "fish gasping for air." https://www.cgconcept.be/uitkijktorens-in-de-natuur-video/ Fact: Originally, the observation tower was intended to be 30 meters tall.

The Gothic gatehouse of Averbode Abbey from the 14th century is built from iron sandstone, two stories high, with a steep gable roof between stepped gables with the original roof truss. The ground floor on the field side consists of a basket arch entrance gate and pedestrian gate between the heavy buttresses, the upper floor has elaborate niches with neo-Gothic statues, placed after a major restoration of 1909-1910, by J. Geerts between monastery frames in the center and a cross frame on the far left and right. On the inside, the first floor contains a small niche between four asymmetrically placed windows. On the second floor, the facade is openwork with two ball frames and a central round-arched window. Centrally located in the roof on the roof frame is a loading hatch with a lifting beam in a lifting box. https://inventaris.onroerenderfgoed.be/erfgoedobjecten/42758 There was also a restoration in 1988-1989.

The 15-meter-high lookout tower in the Bolderdal pond area is partly in the water and offers a view over the hundreds of ponds. From the 15 meter high tower you can enjoy a breathtaking view over the ponds. If you don't dare go up, you can enjoy the panorama through the periscope.