Oppuurs, Londerzeel and Sint-Amands

Klein-Brabant is a Flemish region in the city triangle between Antwerp, Brussels and Ghent. The Scheldt and the Rupel, a tributary of the Scheldt, flow in this area. In this varied landscape you cycle through polders, meadows, fields and along the (largely private) Lippelobos where a hundred different fungus species occur. This has traditionally been a wetland area with many streams and canals that were constructed for the reclamation of the peat in the nineteenth century. You will see many water-loving plants and animals in the polders. Poplars, willows and ash also adorn the landscape. Diepensteyn Castle is an old medieval moated castle from the thirteenth century. The last inhabitants left the castle after the French Revolution at the end of the eighteenth century. Since 1989, the building has been owned by the Palm Brewery, which co-financed the restoration work in the 1990s. You cycle through a number of old and typically Flemish villages, such as Opdorp. This village seems like a true beacon. On the territory of Opdorp lies the geographic center of Flanders, as students of the Faculty of Applied Sciences in Leuven calculated using GPS measurements after 120 hours of hard work. Remarkably enough, this center is at the so-called Drie-Provinciënpunt, where East Flanders, Antwerp and Brabant come together.