The best walks and hikes around Izegem

It's lovely to walk here - the path is easy to walk on.

Neoclassical Catholic church with a late Baroque tower, built on the site where in the early Middle Ages, as part of the adjacent monastery (where the castle is now), a first church was built by order of Saint Amandus. The church has been rebuilt several times. In 1566, iconoclasts marched through the church and destroyed almost everything that could be found. The church was rebuilt with the tower in the middle. However, that tower was demolished in 1739 for reasons still unknown. A new one was built at the front of the church. This is the current tower. The year the tower was built can still be seen. There is also a coat of arms and a clock on the tower. The large doors of the church were made in 1678. This date can still be seen on the doors. The great attention to "Our Lady of Sorrows" is striking: inside a representation of the 7 sorrows as so many swords piercing Mary's body; outside, around the church, seven chapels from 1919-1920, with a representation of the seven sorrows of Mary and on the edge of the market square a larger OLV-van-Sorrowen-chapel. Source: Wikipedia

Today, parts of the castle are rented out as a venue for corporate events, seminars, parties, and more. Extensive work has been carried out for this purpose over the past quarter century. Mr. Marc Van Honsebrouck, who died last year at the age of 89, had lived in the castle with his family since 1986, and had already commissioned renovations around the turn of the century. But disaster struck shortly afterward. On September 20, 2001, at 1:45 a.m., a fire broke out. Fortunately, Mr. Marc and his family managed to escape, but the entire left wing, both the ground floor and the upper floor, was completely destroyed. Although the fire department arrived very quickly, many priceless works of art were lost in the fire. The building itself suffered greatly, but the skill of the firefighters managed to stop the all-consuming flames. The grief over this terrible event was palpable far beyond the castle grounds. In 2012, Mr. Marc Van Honsebrouk decided to take over the castle's entire care and bought out his brother, who had been co-owner until then. His plan was to breathe new life into the castle, which had only been made wind- and watertight after the fire. The result of the past few years is the magnificent halls that shine again. Sources: https://kasteelvaningelmunster.be/ https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20230824_96366895

The origin of the name "Ingelmunster" most likely lies in the history of this castle. The castle was built on the ruins of a seventh-century monastery. In 740, the monastery was reportedly inhabited by English monks, who gave it their name: Anglo Monaterum, Engelmunster, or Ingelmunster, meaning "Monastery of the Angels." In 855, the monastery fell prey to the Normans, the feared rulers of the sea. They plundered and burned the monastery. Little more than a ruin remained of the "Monastery of the Angels." The first Flemish ruler to establish a political presence in West Flanders was Robert I the Frisian, the tenth Count of Flanders. His reign lasted from 1071 to 1093, and he had the fortified castle built on the site of the ruins. Ingelmunster's location, on the doorstep of West Flanders and along the waterway that crossed the military route between Kortrijk and Bruges, was of such strategic importance that it was called the "Key to Flanders." Ingelmunster Castle, which at that time was still a veritable "lock," offered the key to unlocking a tactical advantage. Source: https://kasteelvaningelmunster.be/historiek-kasteel/

The bridge's somewhat rebellious name was chosen by the people of Ingelmunster. It refers to the historical nickname "brigand" (meaning highwayman) that a group of Ingelmunster residents in the 18th century were given after they resisted the French occupiers. Source: https://www.seineschelde.be/vernieuwen-brigandsbrug-ingelmunster-wat And... no, the rapper Brihang is not from Ingelmunster, but from Knokke-Heist, where the dialect "brigand" (in West Flemish, "brihang") is, of course, also part of the local dialect.

Young forest, which has undergone major development since the purchase of the land (now expanded to 45 ha) by the Flemish government in 1995, not least because fast-growing trees such as willows and poplars were initially planted. The Rhodebeek meanders through the area. The name Rhodesgoed comes from Rudolf van Rode, lord of Schelderode and Melle (which is still called "Land van Rhode"). He was the owner of the lordship of Rode in the 13th century. Each lordship had many farms and houses of farmers and citizens. However, the most important farm of a lordship remained the property of the lord. For Rode, that was the Rhodesgoed. Today, the restored farm buildings of the brasserie are a reminder of that agricultural past. More information about the brasserie and walking environment: https://www.rhodesgoed.be/home/ Source: https://www.natuurenbos.be/natuurgebieden/rhodesgoed

The Roeselare-Leie canal runs right through Ingelmunster, almost parallel to the (although not so straight, but winding) old Mandel. Along those two waterways this small but beautiful nature reserve was formed.

A unique, recent bridge, inaugurated in 2020. What makes the Brigands Bridge a real eye-catcher is the opening between the two lanes that allows light to pass through. This allows the open space under the bridge—which would normally be shrouded in shadow—to be fully utilized, even allowing a green axis of flora and fauna to develop beneath the bridge. The bridge is almost 300m long. Source: https://www.infosteel.be/staal-bouw-project/6073-brigandsbrug-ingelmunster