Medieval Church Tower Route

The Medieval Church Tower route connects nine medieval church locations through the beautiful Peel landscape. The cycle route (47 km) runs through the municipalities of Helmond, Laarbeek, Geldrop-Mierlo and Nuenen and tells the history of the villages, from the first Christian settlements in the Middle Ages to modern times. These are churches and towers in the Kempen Gothic style from the 14th and 15th centuries, when Brabant was experiencing an economic boom. But in the course of the Middle Ages, for various reasons, major changes occurred in the sand landscape of Brabant with regard to the spatial development of the villages. In many villages, habitation shifted to another place. The church remained on its original site and was placed in the middle of the farmland. This is how the churches came to be isolated in the fields. Imposing towers The churches with their imposing towers were huge compared to the small villages. The scale and distribution of churches and church towers in North Brabant was really unprecedented for that period. For visitors from abroad, a visit to Brabant was like a contemporary villager's visit to a large metropolis with many skyscrapers. In some places in Brabant, 12 imposing church towers could be seen from one place at the same time. There is an information board at every location on the route. The information boards explain the locations and the environment. At the bottom of the board is a QR code, which you can scan with your mobile phone. The QR code refers to the page on the website, where more information can be found about the location in question. Enjoy a day out on the bike and also learn something about the history of this region! More information: The Medieval Church Tower route is an initiative of the Stichting Archaeological Partnership and Peel Network, SRE Environmental Service is the executor. More information about this route? Check out www.kerkenindepeel.nl. For more information, visit: www.routesinbrabant.nl.