Easy hikes and walks around Grote Geule

You pass here along the western end of the Kieldrechtse Kreek, better known as Grote Geule. It is an old flood channel from the 16th and 17th centuries. It has a steep and soft bank where brackish influences on the vegetation can still be seen. Some peat areas make the area very special. Many birds, such as the bluethroat and reed warbler, also find peace and breeding opportunities there. In winter, you will find many species of ducks and geese there. The area managed by Natuurpunt Waasland-Noord is not freely accessible, only on request. sources: natuurpunt.be and wikipedia

The bench and information board are located at the eastern end of a four-kilometer-long low sand ridge that connects Kieldrecht with De Klinge. Due to its higher elevation, this sand ridge is less susceptible to flooding than the surrounding areas. This also made it of great military importance during the various wars of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. We therefore find several old forts and lines on the sand ridge: fort De Klinge (1595), fort Fuentes (1591, renamed fort Spinola in 1626), the Koningsdijk (1674), and fort Bedmar (1701-1702). In 1701, the Spanish army decided to build a new fort north of Kieldrecht. The fort was built on the spot where the Koningsdijk met the sand ridge of the so-called Kouter(berg). The new defensive work was named after the Fleming Prosper Georges Verboom, an important officer in the Spanish army and one of the engineers of the Bedmar line. The fort served in the War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1714). As early as 1703, it was captured by the army of the Republic of the United Netherlands, the so-called 'Staatsen'. After the war, the fort lost its military importance and almost completely disappeared into the landscape. Fort Verboom has a triangular shape, deviating from the usual four- or five-sided fort construction. The point of the fort is directed north, and thus straight at the enemy. The southern side is equipped with two pentagonal bastions. The entrance to the fort is located between the two bastions. Fort Verboom is quite large. The distance between the two bastion points is approximately 250 meters. The size of a fort is determined by the range of the cannons. The defensive belt is formed by a glacis (a gently sloping strip), a moat, and an earthen rampart. The fort is entirely constructed of earth, as was customary for forts of this period. Earth is a cheaper building material than stone. Furthermore, an earthen fort can be built faster than a stone one and is more resistant to heavy cannonballs. Today, Fort Verboom has largely disappeared, and the site has been completely incorporated into the built environment. The fort lies right on the national border, with its point in the Netherlands and its southern side with the two bastions in Belgium. Remnants of the moats can still be seen in some backyards. ... so reads the information board.

The silhouette of a walking man is a work (from 2010) by the Melsele-based artist Stefaan van Biesen (°1953), titled "Grenzer"; it is therefore not by chance that it stands on the Belgian-Dutch border. The man walks through a screen, a transit zone from one area to another. He is a passer-by, on his way between two worlds. The work refers both to borders in our minds, limitations to our freedom, but also to how that freedom is only real freedom when it is not at the expense of our fellow human beings... and to how topographical borders have been conceived by the same freedom-seeking human. ... the artist himself explains his work. (see etcetera.plus)

The monument at the Sint-Michielskerk of Kieldrecht commemorates the victims of both world wars. In front are 12 names of "Fallen on the field of honor". On one of the sides are 5 more names. On the other side are 4 names "Died in Exile". At the back hangs a copper plate relating to the 2nd World War. There are 4 names on it "fallen on the field of honor", in addition 1 man died as a political prisoner. source: tracesofwar.nl

The demarcation of the Belgian-Dutch border came about after the Treaty of Maastricht in 1843. Border post number 1 is located at the Drielandenpunt in Vaals, the last post, border post number 365, is in the Zwin west of Retranchement in Zeeland-Flandres. Here, between Kieldrecht (B) and Nieuw-Namen (NL) is number 271.

The Sint-Michielskerk of Kieldracht dates from 1854. Only the west tower is older - as the sole remnant of the previous, 18th-century church - it was added in 1788. Currently, restoration work is being carried out on that tower. In 1964, the original floor was replaced, and the gravestones were removed at the same time. The Rococo pulpit, confessionals, and statues (of Saint Michael, among others, of course) are all 18th-century. The Way of the Cross is 19th-century. There are also a number of 20th-century statues to be seen. Source: Inventory of Immovable Heritage

A 'weel' (also called 'wiel' or 'kolk') is a deep pool of water that originated after a dike breach. The enormous force of the water during such a breach created a deep hole behind the dike, which often remained in the landscape as a mere or pool after the dike was repaired. Such 'welen' often develop into valuable nature reserves. The Grote and Kleine Weel form an important link between the nature reserves Grote Geule and Drijdijck. The Grote Geule is an offshoot of the former, much larger Land van Saeftinghe. source: natuurpunt.be

The Great Geule