A dries is an almost triangular, demarcated space with a pond, often at the meeting of three streets, often marked by a chapel. From here, Latem developed further as a village. The first mention of a dries in Sint-Martens-Latem dates from 1563 and the oldest map of Latem from 1575 shows the driesplein. A late medieval dries was a gathering place for cattle with the intention of feeding, milking and letting them drink.
For almost 450 years, that original site has remained virtually unchanged and untouched. The square later also served as a meeting place for the entire village community.
Next to the pond is a neo-Gothic processional chapel from 1839. The adjacent white farm (Latemstraat 70) was inhabited by painter Gust De Smet between 1908 and 1913. De Smet has painted the place several times from his studio or garden. Together with his brother Leon, Frits Van den Berghe, Constant Permeke and Maurice Sys, he was part of the second artist group of Latem. Before the First World War, he painted numerous landscapes, interiors and sporadically the human figure in the Impressionist style. By fleeing to the Netherlands in 1914, together with his friend Frits van den Berghe, he made contact with modern art in Europe. On their return to Flanders in June 1922, the work of De Smet and Van den Berghe is characterized by a pronounced expressionism. Later Gust De Smet moved to the house that is now set up as his museum.