Walking through Poperinge

During this walking route of more than 11 kilometers you will get to know Poperinge in West Flanders, the city known for hop cultivation.

Hop Museum and Talbot House
The start of this route takes place at the Paardenmarkt in Poperinge in West Flanders. Just after you are on your way, you walk past Het Hopmuseum. Poperinge is known for its hop fields. But how did they start this cultivation? And which beers are brewed with it? A gigantic collection of more than two thousand beers shows you which beers are brewed in Belgium. Shortly after, you will pass Talbot House, a 19th century mansion belonging to a local hop merchant. The house was a place where soldiers could relax away from the front. Today it is a museum with guesthouse.

Weeuwhof
In 1769 Canon Ferdinand Proventier had twelve houses for poor widows (weeeuwen in the dialect) built in the Sint-Annastraat (side street of the Casselstraat). A plaque with a flaming heart and a cross still reminds of the foundation. In 1782, 9 more houses were built, creating a completely closed courtyard and it is called the Weeuwhof. The low brick houses under a tiled gable roof are characteristic examples of simple 18th century housing.

Viscount Frimout Park
At the end of the route you walk past Burggraaf Frimout Park. This city park was built in 2002. It was named after Dirk Frimout, the first Belgian astronaut in space, who was born in Poperinge. The Poperingevaart flows through the park, a waterway that connected Poperinge with the Yser and therefore with the sea. The park forms the green lung of the center and is divided into recreational zones, play zones, ecological zones and an assortment of gardens.