The best cycling routes around Kruibeke

An audiovisual tour of the Sint-Martinuskerk is available. It was developed in 2024 as part of a bachelor's thesis by a young teacher from Bever. Download the Erfgoedapp; select "Sint-Martinuskerk" via the compass symbol and then enter the number of the item you want to learn more about. You can find these numbers in a brochure available at the back of the church. The walk starts outside at the intersection of Kloosterstraat and Kasteeldreef. At the back of the church, there is also a comprehensive brochure explaining the architecture and art treasures in the church.

The Church of Our Lady is built of sandstone. The octagonal crossing tower rises above a three-aisled nave, a transept, and a polygonal choir.

Church of Kruibeke...

Beveren purchased the estate in 1982. It boasts the striking 18th-century neoclassical castle, but the farm, ice cellars, and orangery are also worth a visit. During the Middle Ages, the estate was called "Shaecx" after the oldest residents of the fiefdom, the Noethaeckx family. This is how the place got its name. It was Jean-Baptist Versmessen, chief alderman of the Land van Waas castellany, who laid out the estate in its current form in 1781. The English landscape garden appears in 19th-century illustrations. It remained in the Versmessen family until textile manufacturer Edmond Meert purchased the property. The castle was severely damaged during WWII, leaving only a ruin. Restoration took place between 2004 and 2007, and it is now hoped to restore the interior to its former grandeur.

Most of the time the elevator work. but If needed. You can check this online. Stairs are also available

The Getijmolen, water mill or Spaanse Molen is a tidal mill at the mouth of the Vliet in the Scheldt. There was already a water mill here in 1187. An information board on the Nederstraat provides information.

When you say Rupelmonde, you say Mercator and the Graventoren. This historic tower is a former moated castle that is linked to a bloody history. The Graventoren was once owned by the Counts of Flanders. This colossal fortress protected the Scheldt from attackers and conquerors. Historical context: Mercator's dungeon Mercator also plays a leading role in this story. When he shared his revolutionary insights with the world, he was promptly sent to the dungeon by the church authorities. Guess where that dungeon was located? Exactly, in the cellars of the Graventoren. He was locked up here for seven months, accused of heresy. A bloody history However, Mercator was not the only one who saw the cellars of the moated castle from the inside. Many dissidents suffered the same fate, and often worse. A stay in the dungeons of the Graventoren often ended with a bloody beheading. The Counts of Flanders may have a legendary status in history, but they were not sweethearts. Count Robrecht van Bethune once even threw his own son in jail here, accused of high treason. A kind of room arrest avant la lettre, you could say. At the end of the 17th century, the curtain fell for the moated castle. The fortress was then drastically destroyed and the rubble was reused for other buildings. For example, the church of Rupelmonde was built with materials from the ruins of the castle.

Be careful, don't drive too fast - crossing deer. Nice stop to take a picture with the deer.