조도인‬에서 가장 멋진 ‪20‬개의 천연기념물

At the intersection of Kanseliersdreef and Godendreef in the Mollendaalbos, you will find Den Dikken Eik on a small path named - how could it be otherwise - the Dikke Eikdreef. With a trunk circumference of 5.46m, Den Dikken Eik is the heaviest tree in the Meerdaalwoud. In 1995, a pencil-thin rod of wood was drilled into the core of the tree to count the annual rings: at that time, there were 320. Today, there are 351. Quite an age, therefore.

더운 날씨에 즐거운 자전거 코스

A small chapel hidden in nature...

Neatly tidied and renovated since my last visit. Sometimes the moisture on the window can obscure Hymelinus from view. Those who are here for the pilgrimage or want to know more can, however, visit Hymelinus' reliquary in the church of Sint-Martens-Vissenaken and, of course, see his image and light a candle, as has been done for centuries. See photos at https://www.komoot.com/nl-nl/highlight/5345914

Idyllic spot with 2 benches and the story of Saint Hymelinus.

The cobbled section is recognized as landscape heritage. The Oude Geldenaaksebaan leads from the hamlet of Bet past Mareveld southwards and changes into the Nieuwe Geldenaaksebaan towards Mollendaal. It is a mixed cobbled road constructed in half-brick bond with an alternation of porphyry, Petit Granit and Tiense quartzite. The cobbled road has a reasonably flat profile and was recently reconstructed and provided with sewerage and drainage channels. In a limited number of places, there are still kerbs in Petit Granit. The cobbled road is briefly interrupted and continues as an unpaved sunken road to change into a cobbled road again at the intersection with the Smisstraat. In the course of the 18th and 19th centuries, many previously unpaved connecting roads were cobbled to improve driving comfort. The Oude Geldenaaksebaan had lost its importance in the 19th century in favour of the road that passed through the centre of Bierbeek and was probably not paved until around the middle of the 20th century. The section of road that gave access to the Bergenhof reclamation farm was the first to be paved. The rest of the road only served as a loading road for the surrounding agricultural land and was only paved in the 1970s in function of the increasing development. Inventory of Immovable Heritage: Kasseiweg Oude Geldenaaksebaan, https://id.erfgoed.net/erfgoedobjecten/307633

Already 304 years old? Time flies!

The Tomberg is the second highest place in the forest (102 m). It is not a prehistoric burial mound (or tomb) as our ancestors thought, but a natural elevation, a dune mound that millions of years ago, together with the Mommendeel mound, actually protruded above the sea at that time. It is here that the illustrious forest court sat for hundreds of years. In the Middle Ages, every free man was in principle allowed to hunt without restriction in forests, meadows and swamps. The big exception were the free forests, the private forests of the dukes. Meerdaalwoud was such a free forest and hunting rights belonged exclusively to the Duke of Arenberg. At first the forest court was itinerant and justice was administered in the various villages. Later, a special building was erected here on the Tomberg for the court hearings. Later still, a hearing was held at Heverlee castle. The punishments were not lenient, but it is thanks to that forest justice that the forest still exists today and has not been sacrificed to the needs of the farmers and citizens in the area. The forest right came to an end with the arrival of the French in 1795. You can read this - and much more - at https://www.onroerenderfgoed.be/archeologische-fietstocht-heverlee