The best MTB trails in Vlaams Natuurreservaat Helderbeek-Terril

Perfect heathland and sand road!

Where the first church of the Beverlo Camp was built in 1837, the Belgian military cemetery now lies. It was built in 1928 on the site where the Germans had built a war cemetery during World War I. In 1945, the German remains were transferred to the large German cemetery in Lommel. In 1972, the Ministry of the Interior took over the cemetery and completely redesigned it. The cemetery consists of a number of honorary plots, but the most important architectural element in the cemetery is the old German memorial chapel, which was adapted in the late 1940s as a memorial chapel for the deceased prisoners of war of both world wars. During the expansion in the 1940s, a second chapel was built on the east side of the First World War cemetery as a copy of the renovated German chapel. A second authentic element that is reminiscent of the former German cemetery is the water well. The current brick construction replaces an original in natural stone built by the Germans. The artfully made ironwork is however still the original from 1835. The deep well itself was made in the early period of the camp by the Belgian engineers. By taking the German cemetery the surface of the Belgian cemetery expanded to 183 ares. There are a total of 1312 graves.

As early as 1837, a large ice cellar of 80 m³ was built in the Royal Park. The ice was collected in the winter from fens in the vicinity of the camp. It was stored in the cellar and used by the military hospital, to treat swellings or reduce fever, and in the kitchen of the Royal Palace. Above the ice cellar, a hill with a kiosk was built that served as a belvedere in the park. Today, it is used by bats as a roost.

This building was built in 1850 as a residence for the Commander of the Engineers who stayed there with his family. It is also known as the 'Chinese Pavilion' because of certain stylistic elements that are reminiscent of the Far East. Since 2023, it forms, together with the small coach house, the new building and the large garden, the Liberation Garden heritage site where the WWII museum and the tourist office are located.

In 2023, Liberation Garden opened in Leopoldsburg. In the ‘Chinese Pavilion’, an officers’ villa from 1850, the story is told about two hundred years of garrison town Leopoldsburg and in a new building the stories about the Second World War in the region are told. More info: liberationroute.com/nl/pois/1141/liberation-garden

nice gravel strip with beautiful views

wonderful place to train.

The Teut is an extensive heathland area, which probably owes its name to the Zonhoven dialect word ‘Toot’, which means a point or protruding part. This could refer to the high Teutheuvel that protrudes above the surrounding landscape. The Teut also houses a star spot. However, this is located at the foot of the hill, with a view of a beautiful natural fen. It has not always been like this: in the 1960s this pond was a water sports centre, but that did not last long. Later, people wanted to use the pond for fish farming, but the water turned out to be much too acidic for economically viable fish species. That is why the pond was allowed to evolve into a completely natural fen, which actually also belongs better in this heathland area.