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Pleasant cycling on that cycle path.

Pleasant cycling on very good cycle paths.

This canal is ideal for observing locks and taking great photos. It always reminds me a little of the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris – where there are also many locks in a very small area. Of course, they differ in their surrounding landscape.

The Schoon Verdiep is located in the City Hall, which has a rich history. The City Hall is a Renaissance building, designed by the architect Cornelis Floris De Vriendt. It was built between 1561 and 1564. The name 'Schoon Verdiep' is a literal translation of the French 'bel-etage' (single floor). A bel-etage is the main floor of a building that is located on the first floor rather than the ground floor. The most evocative room in the Schoon Verdiep is 'The Mayor's Office'. This is the office of the Mayor of Antwerp. Striking features of this room include the beautiful mantelpiece, the gold leather wallpaper, and the portraits of former mayors. The 'Trouwzaal' (Wedding Room) is the largest room in the City Hall. For over 130 years, the people of Antwerp have exchanged vows here. Previously, the room served as a reception room for heads of state and governors. "De Wandelzaal" (The Walking Room) is a highly diverse space. Noteworthy features include the stained-glass windows and the large porcelain vases. The College Hall is where the city council meets. Eye-catching features of this room include the paintings, the balcony, and the beautiful carved wood mantelpiece. The city council meets in the Council Chamber. Here, the majority and opposition sit opposite each other, and debate the city's governance. Copper panels adorn the walls of the Council Chamber, listing the names of Antwerp's mayors over the centuries. The "Kleine Leyszaal" (Small Leys Room) now serves as the landing between the Leyszaal and the Wedding Hall, but was once a staircase to the ground floor. In 1861, painter Hendrik Leys was commissioned to create murals in "De Leyszaal." Together with city archivist Pieter Génard, he devised a truly unique scenario. Above the doors were placed portraits of dukes and princes who had granted Antwerp significant favors and liberties. The large scenes on the walls illustrate the city's acquired liberties before 1794. Receptions and gatherings are regularly held in the Leyszaal.

The F15 cycle highway (Antwerp-Turnhout) follows the towpath along the Dessel-Schoten canal and takes you past war bunkers at regular intervals.

A beautiful piece of history

The Scherpenbergmolen is a stone corn windmill, a mountain mill type, located on the northwest side of Antwerpsesteenweg (no. 378), on the corner of Tichelmanstraat. The name Scherpenbergmolen comes from the toponym Scherpenberg, while the vernacular referred to it as the "Stone Mill" (Stone Mill), because there was also a wooden mill in Westmalle. The mill was erected in 1843 by the brothers Joannes and Petrus Mullenbrück (Meulenbroeck) on their parents' property in the area of "De Jaentjes." The mill's construction site was designated as follows: "more than half an hour outside the customs line, 70 meters from the main Antwerp-Turnhout road and 45 meters from the local road Tichelmanstraat." Joannes and Petrus Mullenbrück were the sons of Christianus Mullenbrück, originally from Westphalia, Germany, who settled in the municipality of Westmalle in 1808 as a lime distiller. Joannes became a miller there, and his brother Petrus moved to Ossendrecht, the Netherlands, to also pursue the miller's trade.

More information about this historic farm and the link with Hendrik Conscience and his novel "De Loteling": https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_loteling