From nature to culture in Turnhout

Turnhout is the capital of the Kempen, the city of beguines, fens and bunkers. This walk takes you through the rich history of this beautiful city: along the robust ramparts, wide moat and the impressive castle of the Dukes of Brabant. Outside the city you can wander through a rugged fen area, hidden for years under dull coniferous forest.

Silence in the city

The picturesque beguinage dates back to the 14th century. In this oasis of peace in the middle of the city centre you will find cosy houses, authentic cobblestones, green hedges, old water pumps and wrought iron street lamps. Only the chirping of birds does not make this a completely quiet place. The beguinage, together with sixteen other Flemish beguinages, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998. The last beguine died here in 2002. You will find a museum there to learn more about the beguine culture.

Heathland and fens

The walk also takes you outside the city walls. The municipality is doing everything it can to restore the heathland and fen landscape to its former glory. Monotonous conifers are being cut down, as is the American oak. The open landscape increasingly resembles how it looked here before the twentieth century. Past the Koeven you wander alternately through cornfields and rough grassland. And along the Bels Lijntje, the former railway line to Tilburg, there is a whopper of a lookout tower. At the top you are rewarded with a view of the open landscape with woolly dots in the distance, just like a painting of sheep.

Photo copyright: Mie De Backer