Top 20 Natural Monuments around Zandhoven

The Kesselse Heide is a provincial green space covering 79 hectares, 61 of which are open to the public. The initial acquisition took place in 1978, and it has been expanded since then. The entrance is located in Nijlen, at Vaerestraat 4. The space is freely accessible daily from sunrise to sunset. There are two ponds in the area. These old wells not only provide a pleasant change of scenery but are also a boon for the many plants and animals. Since 1996, the Kesselse Heide has been a protected landscape. It is one of the few remaining remnants of the once vast Kempen heathlands. The heath is a living community created in our region by humans. Historical agricultural practices created a landscape that has been preserved through human intervention: grazing by sheep, burning the heath, and sod cutting. Sod cutting is the removal of the topsoil and vegetation. A dug-out sod of plants and their roots is a sod. If heathland is left untreated, it will evolve into oak and birch forests, and the typical species associated with a heathland habitat will disappear. In the mid-19th century, the Kesselse Heide—like many other parts of the Kempen region—was afforested with Scots pine, a valuable timber for mining. However, during both World Wars, these sod-covered forests were felled, and from then on, the heathland was able to expand again. Current management consists of removing trees and mechanically cutting sods to give the open heathland every chance to thrive. https://youtu.be/NoPf0HSeFz8

The Kesselse Heide-Het Goor area consists of a variety of nutrient-poor meadows, pastures, marshes, and ponds, bordered and crisscrossed by enclosed landscape types, and contains numerous landscape elements. The area is characterized by a richly varied and sometimes rare flora. Several historic farm buildings can be found within the area. The Kesselse Heide-Het Goor area, with an area of approximately 2,620 hectares, is located between the villages of Nijlen and Kessel, north of the Lier-Herentals road. The northern border of this area is along Vogelzangstraat, the eastern border along Achterbist, Kannaertsstraat, and Goorstraat. The Grote Steenweg forms the southern border, and the western border is formed by Heidestraat and Vaerestraat. The landscape includes the following topographical areas: "Kannaerdsche Heyde," "Kesselse Heide," "Mol Heide," "Achterbiest," "Het Hoog Bosch," "De Hooge Heide," "Het Armveld," "De Schommers" or "Vissen Eynde," "Het Goor," "Het Goorkasteel," and "Hoge Heyde." Several streams traverse the area, specifically the Goorkantloop, the Elstbeek, the Paddenloop, Blauwe Hoekloop, and the Visbeek. The elevation within the area varies from approximately 5 meters +TAW to approximately 10 meters +TAW. Inventory of Immovable Heritage: Kesselse Heide-Het Goor, https://id.erfgoed.net/erfgoedobjecten/302886

Protected cycle path (gravel). Essentially a straight line from Oelegem to Sint Job in 't Goor (connecting with the Schoten Canal). Despite its straightness, it's not endless and offers plenty of variety.

Very nice walk with a lot of variety in landscapes and terrain.

Het Zwart Water is a nature reserve southwest of the town of Lichtaart, which is part of the Antwerp municipality of Kasterlee, located near Lavendelweg 1-3. The area is managed by the Agency for Nature and Forests. The area is located on the Kempense Heuvelrug and consists of a fen that used to be in a drifting sand and heathland area, but was largely forested with conifers during the 19th century. On the edge of the fen you will find bog myrtle thickets, willow swamp forest and poor grassland. There is a floating dome in the fen that forms a safe resting place for birds. The forest is gradually being transformed into more mixed forest. In addition, there are remnants of heathland.

The name "Vrieselhof" goes back to Jan van Vriesele, a nobleman from Kontich who bought approximately 24 hectares of land in Oelegem around 1300 (approximately 32 hectares). In 1975, a year after the sale to the province of Antwerp, the domain was opened to hikers. From 1977 to 1999 the "Provincial Textile and Costume Museum" was located in the Vrieselhof. Due to a lack of resources, only a limited part of the collection could be exhibited. In 2002, the museum moved to Antwerp and was named Fashion Museum Antwerp. In 2003, the Provincial Library Center settled in the castle, together with administrative services. In 2011, a "library of Flemish classics" was opened within the Provincial Library Center. Works by classical Flemish writers are collected and loaned out here. In 2014, the Antwerp provincial council decided to restructure the culture department. The library center would be merged with the Cultural Dissemination and Arts Service into a new Libraries and Arts Service. In 2015, the Provincial Library Center moved to Antwerp, but the collection of Flemish classics remained in the Vrieselhof.

Historical interpretation: The anti-tank ditch is a 33 km long defensive ditch northeast of Antwerp, between the Scheldt and the Albert Canal. The canal was constructed between 1938 and 1940 as part of the Antwerp fortress. In the 1930s, the Belgian army reoriented the fortress into a defense for infantry (support points) and machine gun companies. The military added the anti-tank ditch and bunker lines (KW line) to the existing defense by forts and redoubts. The aim was to stop tanks. That is why the anti-tank ditch had to have a slope, depth and width that a tank of that time could not exceed: a bottom of at least six meters width a width of 18m at the water surface a depth of at least three meters a minimum water level of two meters slopes of 45° Originally, the Antitankgracht was going to be a dry canal, but because it filled up with water, it was forced to be converted into a wet canal. The route had to bridge a height difference of approximately 3 to 18.5 m (DTM). That is why it was divided into about 45 sections with locks. A slide in the lock regulated the water flow and thus maintained the level. The water came partly from seepage water or local streams and partly from the Maas, supplied via the Dessel-Schoten canal. Because control over water levels was so important, each lock was defended by a bunker. The bunkers at the Antitankgracht consist of lock bunkers with flanking daughter bunkers and flanking bunkers. The lock bunkers are elongated free-standing bunkers with a large blank wall, camouflaged by 'eggs' and were usually equipped for two machine guns.

In the Kempen region, heathland is a cultural landscape that developed long ago through the frequent grazing of sheep on poor sandy soils. Since then, heathland has become valuable and rare. The Kesselse Heide provincial green space is all that remains of a much larger heathland area. Since 2023, the Kesselse Heide can also be explored as a heritage site. Various information boards provide information on folklore, landscape features, the wartime history, and more. You can find some photos of these new boards in the photo section of this highlight.