Attractions and Places To See in Kraenepoel En Markettebossen - Top 12

It is a three-bay brick hall church with a three-sided choir and a built-in west tower on a square floor plan. The tower still has its original 17th-century appearance. The church looks mainly neo-Gothic. The church furniture was completely renewed in the 1950s and 1960s.

Bellem station is a railway station along railway line 50A (Brussels - Ostend) in Bellem, a sub-municipality of the municipality of Aalter. In terms of equipment, Bellem is a stopping point, there are a few waiting boxes on the platforms. Until the 1970s, Bellem had its own station building, which was then demolished. It stood north of the railway line where the bicycle sheds and car parking are now located. The old building was built in 1912, an even older station stood across the street. Both buildings can be seen in the photo below. A pedestrian tunnel runs under the tracks. It is relatively tidy and the access has a ramp, so that wheelchair users can also use it. The tunnel also forms a link in the East Flanders cycle route network. Cyclists are therefore also allowed in the tunnel. There is also another option to cross the tracks: there is a bridge over the other end of the tracks, which can be reached by stairs from either platform. The bicycle sheds have recently been renovated. There are now two, one at each platform. The parking facility at platform 1 has a double design because of the larger space available there. In 2019, work started on the expansion of railway line 50A from 2 to 4 tracks. The entire station is being overhauled for this purpose. There will be 2 island platforms, ramps so that people with disabilities can also use the station, new roofs, a new station car park and new bicycle sheds. Source: Wikipedia

Strikingly beautiful pump that you can find on the square in front of the church.

Formerly the inn "In de Wachtzaal"; located on the railway, opposite the station building, which was demolished in 1975; dating from the third quarter of the 19th century. Double house of two floors under gable roofs (tiles). Brick facades with rectangular wall openings. Stone ball frames in plastered and white-painted frames and sills extended into cordon. L-shaped stables and carriage house, the latter of three bays with an arcade under a gable roof (tiled). Source: LANCLUS K. 1989: Inventory of cultural heritage in Belgium, Architecture, Province of East Flanders, District of Ghent, Canton of Nevele, Building through the centuries in Flanders 12n1, Brussels - Turnhout. Authors: Lanclus, Kathleen Date: 1989 The text is made available by: Immovable Heritage Agency (AOE)

The Kraenepoel took its current shape at the beginning of the 19th century. The construction of a dike and an emptying construction allowed the pond to be managed as a fish farming pond. Due to this design, various aspects of the former fen and heath landscape faded away, while a series of heath and fen plants were still able to survive in the pond. The combination of the cultural-historical origin and the occurrence of characteristic species from nutrient-poor, weakly buffered waters ensure the current unique status of the area. Two important events in the 20th century were the construction of Villa Kraenepoel in 1902 on the eastern headland and the construction of a dividing dam between the southern and northern halves of the pond in 1957. Source: www.aalter.be/historie-kraenepoel

Large summer house, built in 1902 in Norman cottage style with pseudo-timbering in the gables. At the rear the house overlooks the garden and Kraenepoel. Since 1957 it has been recognized as a heritage site. In the same year, the dividing dam was also constructed between the northern (private domain) and southern Kraenepoel (then also private property; since 2002 owned by the municipality of Aalter and the Nature and Forest Agency). Sources: https://inventaris.onroerenderfgoed.be/erfgoedobjecten/34637 https://www.aalter.be/historie-kraenepoel

The station building at the Bellem train stop was demolished in 1975. The inn that stood opposite the station building, "In the Waiting Room", has also been closed for a long time, although - as a former "local" I know - it was still used 'under the bar' (clandestine) well into the 1980s. donated. However, the double house with gable roofs and stables and carriage house behind it (dating from the third quarter of the 19th century) is still there, in good condition and inhabited. "In the Waiting Room"; located on the railway, opposite the station building, which was demolished in 1975; dating from the third quarter of the 19th century. Source: https://inventaris.onroerenderfgoed.be/erfgoedobjecten/34801

The oldest part of the church dates from the 16th century. The church was built on the site of the Bethlehem parish in the 13th century. For a long time the church consisted of only a central aisle and a north aisle. At some point a chapel nave was added on the south side. The church was destroyed at the end of the 15th century during the religious disputes and was rebuilt in the second half of the 17th century. In 1847 the church was enlarged on the south side with a third aisle. A bay was added on the west side so that the tower was built into the church. A new west facade was also created. From 1870 to 1874 the church was enlarged on the choir side. In 1879, the appearance of the church was changed in a neo-Gothic sense.