Dendermonde Cycle Route

Between the Scheldt and Dender there is a beautiful piece of nature where the water is never far away. We cycle past locks and bridges, wet meadows and charming villages, and stretch our calves on a terrace on the Donkmeer. The icing on the cake is the ferry crossing at Appels, from where we set sail again along the banks of both rivers to Dendermonde.

The city where the Dender flows into the Scheldt breathes history. The medieval buildings on and around the Grote Markt bear witness to a rich past that lives on in folkloric events such as the ten-yearly Ros Beiaardommegang and the annual giant omgang Katuit, in which guild giants Indian, Mars and Goliath are carried through the city. Traditions to be proud of, because the beguinage, the belfry and the ommegang have World Heritage status. During the First World War the city had a hard time. During the advance through Belgium, the German army completely reduced the center to ashes. Today, Dendermonde is the most swinging of all Dender cities: the Jazz Center Flanders and the Honky Tonk Jazz Club have been established values within the European jazz scene for more than forty years.

The specialty in Scheldeland is eel, and you will notice this from the many eel houses along this route. However, Dendermonde is a city apart. Here you will eat Dendermondse kop, a local delicacy based on pork belly and juicy beef and pork head, which is best enjoyed on a slice of brown bread with a thin layer of mustard. Less adventurous, but at least as tasty, is Dendermondse Witten, a good"meat\\\" local rabbit, marinated in regional beer, for example a Vicar Generaal, a double top-fermented beer from the Dendermonde brewery Dilewyns.