The best city hikes and walks around Kloosterbos

At the entrance, a memorial stone is incorporated in honor of Sister Conrada Haast, who died of cholera in the Moriaaen parsonage on October 5, 1866. She provided assistance to a skipper's family who were in quarantine at De Stuiver. The stone was placed here on September 26, 1982.

The church is officially called 'Maria Hemelvaartskerk', but it is better known as the Cuyperskerk, after the architect who designed the church. It is a neo-Gothic basilica that was taken into use in 1892. It is the first church in the Netherlands to use a vault made of "cement-iron", or reinforced concrete. This led to contemptuous criticism such as "fake" and "kitsch", but nowadays the church can be seen not only as architectural and religious heritage, but also as important industrial heritage. The church is therefore classified as a National Monument. On January 1, 2013, the church was permanently closed. In the meantime, it was transformed into a complex of a food market, restaurant, party center, and rental of workspaces for start-ups. source: Wikipedia Opening hours in July and August (!): Tuesday, Thursday & Friday: 8.30 am-4.00 pm Wednesday & Saturday: 8.30 am-4.00 pm Sunday & Monday: closed

Stately building on the corner of Oostkade and Veerweg, with a stone set into the side wall reading "Vijfhoek, 1650 - Sas van Gent in 1633", a reference to the (vanished) bastions. The building was long a doctor's residence. The well-known asthma specialist (also visited from Belgium), Julien Henri Benignus Puylaert (1897-1984) and later also his son, Frank, had their practice here. Later, the 1905 building became, among other things, an antique and brocante shop. What it is now is not clear to me.

The current church building dates from 1897 and stands on the site where the history of the Protestant church in Sas van Gent began in 1648. The first stone was then laid for the imposing Kruiskerk, which was taken into use in 1858. However, when the French besieged and conquered Sas van Gent in 1747, the church was also hit and burned down completely. From 1750 onwards, this church was rebuilt in its former glory. On July 3, 1896, the building went up in flames again. This time, a lightning strike in the cupola on the tower was the cause. The fire brigade could do nothing, and the mayor forbade entering the church building to save any valuables. Molten lead dripped down continuously from the roof covering. A year later, the construction of a new, considerably smaller church had already begun, which was taken into use in 1898. However, after only a few years, the wooden tower proved to be unstable and was replaced in 1907 by the current stone tower. The former rectory, located to the right of the church, also dates from the period when this new church was built. In 2007, after being empty for more than 10 years, 'Het Kerkje' was purchased by Recht door Zee, an advertising agency. At that time, the building was ripe for demolition. The roof was leaking, moss grew on the walls, and pigeons were the inhabitants. Especially through self-employment and the help of family and friends, they created a spacious office and a home in the little church. Source: information board on site

"Sas van Gent 1740" refers to a well-known copper engraving by J.C. Philips, after a drawing by A. de Haen. The full title reads: "Sas van Gend 1740. van binnen te zien" (Sas van Gent 1740. To be seen from the inside). It is an image of the city, seen from this spot, the Oostdam. The frame, in which the reproduction of the work is no longer (visible), is flanked on both sides by a cannon. These, in turn, refer to how Sas van Gent was a fortified city for a long time, with seven bastions, of which currently only the Generaliteit bastion has been preserved.

Near Kopwerk. Come on in!

Every year an impressive commemoration takes place at this memorial, worthy of the war victims.

Sas van Gent is located on the canal from Ghent to Terneuzen and mainly owes its existence to this. This canal was dug in the 16th century after the Lieve silted up and Emperor Charles V gave permission to break the dike here with a lock. The resulting settlement was soon attacked and set on fire by the Water Beggars. After this, one of the largest and strongest fortifications in the Netherlands was built around Sas van Gent. The fortress consisted of six strongholds, six ravelins, two lunettes and three city gates. During the high unemployment in the 1930s, the fortress, except for a few fragments, was completely demolished by unemployed people. Nowadays Sas van Gent is a contemporary village where several activities are held every year. One of the examples of this is the Rock around the Bridge festival, which has been held here since 1992. During the carnival they call it Beteklopstad and the inhabitants are called Betekopen. Every carnival a lights parade is held here on Tuesday evening. The Flemish singer Louis Neefs wrote the song Annelies from Sas van Gent, this song has been covered by Rob de Nijs, among others. A major disadvantage of Sas van Gent is that due to its location on the canal, there is a lot of industry in the immediate vicinity of the village.