The best traffic-free bike rides around Linter

On the site of the current Sint-Leonardus church, there was a chapel – whose construction date is unknown – in honor of Saint Leonard of Noblac. After this chapel was elevated to a parish church in 1231, it was replaced by the current church, which had a long construction history: the monumental Gothic building was largely erected between the 13th and 16th centuries. The Sint-Leonardus church is rich in art treasures and owes its international fame mainly to them. The Iconoclastic Fury of 1566 and the French Revolution passed by the church without major damage, so that the impressive artistic heritage built up over centuries has largely been preserved: altarpieces, paintings, statues of saints, copper and silverware, vestments, and other devotional objects.

On the site of the current Sint-Leonarduskerk, there was a chapel – the construction date of which is unknown – in honor of Saint Leonard of Noblac. After this chapel was elevated to a parish church in 1231, it was replaced by the current church, which had a long construction history: the monumental Gothic building was largely erected between the 13th and 16th centuries. The Sint-Leonarduskerk is rich in art treasures and owes its international fame primarily to them. The Iconoclasm in 1566 and the French Revolution passed by the church without major damage, meaning that the impressive art heritage built up over centuries was largely preserved: altarpieces, paintings, statues of saints, copper and silverware, vestments, and other devotional objects.

The Grote Markt of Zoutleeuw forms a beautiful historic setting that recalls the city's medieval wealth. The 16th-century town hall is a rare monument between Gothic and Renaissance. The Cloth Hall was built during the heyday of the wool trade. The Sint-Leonarduskerk is an elegant pearl with an impressive artistic heritage. The Spiegelhuis, with its richly decorated Renaissance facade, also attracts attention. The cozy terraces complete the picture.

Although most chapels are named after the saint for whom they were built, the Bethany Chapel is named after a place name. The biblical place Bethany is said to be the birthplace of Mary Magdalene, the patron saint of the Monastery of Bethany of Zoutleeuw, in whose honor the chapel was erected. The original statue of Mary has disappeared and has been replaced by a statue of Our Lady of Pellevoisin.

Webbekoms Broek is part of the Flemish Nature Reserve Webbekomsbroek-Borchbeemden, a contiguous area of 397 ha, managed by the Flemish Agency for Nature and Forest. This also includes the Diesters Broek, the Schaffens Broek and the Borchbeemden: Rotbroek, Gorenbroek and Sint-Jansberg. Several watercourses flow through the area. The most important of these is the Demer. The others are primarily its tributary the Zwarte Beek, the Grote Leigracht and the Leigracht. The Demer valley has been plagued by floods for centuries. The worst floods in recent history date from 1998. There were also serious floods in Diest in 2008. To prevent serious water nuisance, retention basins and floodplains were installed. The Webbekoms Broek and its surroundings are a floodplain. In September 1998, a retention basin with a surface area of 144 ha was put into use in the Webbekoms Broek. The area can hold 3.5 million m³ of water. There is an inner basin and an outer basin. The inner basin is surrounded by dikes. The rest forms the outer basin, which mainly functions as a nature reserve.

White is also a color, where there is also an electricity cabin that belongs with the same appearance...

The castle of the lords of Kozen is located on the spot where three municipalities meet: Kozen, Wijer and Stevoort. Strictly speaking, the castle is on the territory of Wijer, the farm is in Kozen and the barn in Stevoort. Previously, avenues connected the castle site with these three villages. The oldest known lords of Kozen belong to the van Wesemael family, who lived in the fourteenth century. Around 1400, the lordship and the castle belonged to the de Diest family, and in the seventeenth century, the de Kerckhem family ruled here. Above one of the gates, a stone can be seen, on which the family coat of arms is shown twice. It dates from the time when Arnold de Kerckhem and his wife Annemarie de Kerckhem, who was also his niece, lived here. Still in the seventeenth century, the castle belonged for a time to the land commander of Alden Biesen. From 1699, the van Afferden family acquired the domain. They are the last lords of Kozen. At the end of the nineteenth century, the castle was owned by a certain Jacquelart. He rebuilt the castle and gave it its current appearance.

On the site of the current St. Leonard's Church stood a chapel—the date of construction of which is unknown—in honor of Saint Leonard of Noblac. After this chapel was elevated to a parish church in 1231, it was replaced by the current church, which had a long construction history: the monumental Gothic building was largely constructed between the 13th and 16th centuries. St. Leonard's Church is rich in art treasures and owes its international fame primarily to them. The Iconoclasm of 1566 and the French Revolution passed the church by without significant damage, thus preserving most of the impressive artistic heritage accumulated over centuries: altarpieces, paintings, statues of saints, copper and silverwork, vestments, and other devout objects. Below, a few of these showpieces are presented. Upon entering, the first thing that catches the eye is the Marianum: this double statue (1533) is situated within the 15th-century veneration of Mary, which depicted the Virgin Mary as the apocalyptic woman and mediatrix of grace. Not-to-be-missed highlight inside: The Sacrament Tower: A tabernacle crafted from white Avesnes stone is undoubtedly the church's showpiece. The artwork was created in the workshops of Cornelis II Floris de Vriendt in Antwerp and erected in Zoutleeuw in 1552. The tower is 18 meters high, has nine stories, and contains approximately 200 statues depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments. A replica is on display at London's Victoria and Albert Museum. The Paschal Candlestick This copper candlestick is 5.68 meters high and weighs approximately 950 kg. It was cast by Renier van Thienen, based on a design by Jan Bornam, and installed in the choir by the founder himself in 1483. It is the second-largest Easter candlestick in Europe. Source: https://www.zoutleeuw.be/sint-leonarduskerk