The best city hikes and walks in Domein De Hees

in the Begijnhof in Hoogstraten, every front door has a name

The Scherpenbergmolen is a stone corn windmill, a mountain mill type, located on the northwest side of Antwerpsesteenweg (no. 378), on the corner of Tichelmanstraat. The name Scherpenbergmolen comes from the toponym Scherpenberg, while the vernacular referred to it as the "Stone Mill" (Stone Mill), because there was also a wooden mill in Westmalle. The mill was erected in 1843 by the brothers Joannes and Petrus Mullenbrück (Meulenbroeck) on their parents' property in the area of "De Jaentjes." The mill's construction site was designated as follows: "more than half an hour outside the customs line, 70 meters from the main Antwerp-Turnhout road and 45 meters from the local road Tichelmanstraat." Joannes and Petrus Mullenbrück were the sons of Christianus Mullenbrück, originally from Westphalia, Germany, who settled in the municipality of Westmalle in 1808 as a lime distiller. Joannes became a miller there, and his brother Petrus moved to Ossendrecht, the Netherlands, to also pursue the miller's trade.

Beautiful Beguinage in Hoogstraaten, museum and landscaped vegetable garden very interesting.

Chapel of Our Lady at the Groenewoud

with the inscription: To our Heroes

This mural playfully depicts a group of people on an extra-long tandem bicycle. The front cyclist is working up a sweat, while the others—a child, two women, and a relaxed man—each contribute in their own way (or not). Right at the back, we even see a dog on a child's bike and a duckling happily following along. The image is a lighthearted and humorous look at collaboration, effort, and free riding, and evokes recognizable situations in which one person does the hard work while others quietly flow along. Possible purposes: • Educational: for themes such as collaboration or the distribution of effort. • Tourist: as an eye-catcher or landmark in the city. • Art education: discussing humor in public art.

In the center of Hoogstraten, near the beguinage on Vrijheid, an impressive mural by artist ERES125 (Koen Deweerdt) has been unveiled. The work celebrates the tenth anniversary of the city's twinning with Za-Kpota in Benin and symbolizes collaboration on themes such as sustainability, women's rights, and education. The mural depicts a woman in traditional dress, symbolizing progress, against a colorful background that represents the dynamics between the two cities. A striking orange symbolizes the shared importance of agriculture. The artwork was unveiled on September 20, 2024, and invites residents to become part of this special bond.

The town hall is an example of civil, late Gothic architecture in brick and sandstone. When the withdrawing German troops dynamited St. Catherine's Tower on October 23, 1944, the town hall was also almost completely destroyed. After the war, this monument was meticulously rebuilt. In 1525, a meeting between Count Antoon de Lalaing and the residents of the Freedom of Hoogstraten decided to build a town hall. The count decided to finance the new town hall himself, as the city's citizens were already helping to bear the heavy burden of building a new choir. The late Gothic town hall was built between 1530 and 1534 to a design by Rombout II Keldermans. He was a master architect from Mechelen and a member of one of the most important master architect families of the Brabant Gothic period. Rombout II Keldermans, like his father, was Mechelen's city architect. Moreover, he rose to become master architect to the Dukes of Brabant and was even appointed personal architect to Emperor Charles V, who ennobled him in 1516. The master builder from Mechelen worked in Hoogstraten until his death in 1531. Afterward, work on the town hall continued under the direction of Hendrik Lambrechts and Antoon II Keldermans. The original town hall housed a concierge's lodge, a butcher's office, a secretariat, a council chamber, an archive storage room, and a two-part militia hall for the guilds. Today, the VisitHoogstraten office is located in the town hall. Source: www.visithoogstraten.be