Wachtebeke, Eksaarde and Sint-Kruis-Winkel

First a history lesson about the starting point Wachtebeke. You might not think it, but this is a historic place. The Roman highway from Antwerp split here in the direction of Ghent and Bruges. From the 13th century, the surrounding abbeys owned land in Wachtebeke. Peat extraction emerged and because this was a labor-intensive job, many people moved here. There are still some buildings that have been built there over the past centuries. The St. Catherine's Church, together with the church organ and the parsonage, is protected as a monument. But the most special monument is the Vierschaar of Wachtebeke, where the judicial administration was located in the Middle Ages. This barracks was built around the year 1600 in Flemish Renaissance style and restored in 2009. The building is a protected monument and the oldest preserved civil building in Meetjesland. The building has had many functions over time. Until the French Revolution it was used as a courthouse, i.e. as a courthouse. Afterwards it was used for many other purposes: school, town hall, inn, house, warehouse, accommodation for the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul and soldiers' quarters. And all this time it was also a public pumping station, as there used to be one in every village - the well in the garden is still a witness to this. Nowadays it is partly used as a parochial secretariat and partly made available to local club life. If you cycle out of Wachtebeke you will come across two special places from history: the protected drawbridges over the beautiful Moervaart. The beautiful Kalvebrug bridge was built in 1945 to replace the bridge that was destroyed during the Second World War. The Overlede Bridge is even older; it dates from the interwar period and was restored around 1945 from the damage sustained during the war. Just before the end of the route you will find a nice place to break your cycling tour: Domain Puyenbroeck. Stop by the visitor center and then visit the Living Heritage Park, an animal park with ancient breeds of farm animals. These animal breeds have been displaced by more productive species in recent generations and were therefore in danger of disappearing altogether. If you prefer flowers, be sure to take a look around the domain's flower park, largely designed as a symmetrical French garden, with beautiful brightly colored begonias. On summer days, the large fountain pond is a wonderful place for a rest on one of the many benches. The hornbeam arcades and large stone pergola seem straight out of a French film. If you are traveling with children, Domain Puyenbroeck is an ideal trigger to get them out cycling. There is also plenty to do for the kids. In the months of July and August, children up to 12 years old can test their knowledge of the traffic rules in a go-kart on a special track in the traffic park. Or would they rather enjoy a paddle boat ride on the boating lake, a ride on the tourist train, a romp in the enormous playground or a game of mini golf?