The best city hikes and walks in Het Merkske

Monumental mill

Beautiful Beguinage in Hoogstraaten, museum and landscaped vegetable garden very interesting.

Chapel of Our Lady at the Groenewoud

with the inscription: To our Heroes

This mural playfully depicts a group of people on an extra-long tandem bicycle. The front cyclist is working up a sweat, while the others—a child, two women, and a relaxed man—each contribute in their own way (or not). Right at the back, we even see a dog on a child's bike and a duckling happily following along. The image is a lighthearted and humorous look at collaboration, effort, and free riding, and evokes recognizable situations in which one person does the hard work while others quietly flow along. Possible purposes: • Educational: for themes such as collaboration or the distribution of effort. • Tourist: as an eye-catcher or landmark in the city. • Art education: discussing humor in public art.

In the center of Hoogstraten, near the beguinage on Vrijheid, an impressive mural by artist ERES125 (Koen Deweerdt) has been unveiled. The work celebrates the tenth anniversary of the city's twinning with Za-Kpota in Benin and symbolizes collaboration on themes such as sustainability, women's rights, and education. The mural depicts a woman in traditional dress, symbolizing progress, against a colorful background that represents the dynamics between the two cities. A striking orange symbolizes the shared importance of agriculture. The artwork was unveiled on September 20, 2024, and invites residents to become part of this special bond.

The town hall is an example of civil, late Gothic architecture in brick and sandstone. When the withdrawing German troops dynamited St. Catherine's Tower on October 23, 1944, the town hall was also almost completely destroyed. After the war, this monument was meticulously rebuilt. In 1525, a meeting between Count Antoon de Lalaing and the residents of the Freedom of Hoogstraten decided to build a town hall. The count decided to finance the new town hall himself, as the city's citizens were already helping to bear the heavy burden of building a new choir. The late Gothic town hall was built between 1530 and 1534 to a design by Rombout II Keldermans. He was a master architect from Mechelen and a member of one of the most important master architect families of the Brabant Gothic period. Rombout II Keldermans, like his father, was Mechelen's city architect. Moreover, he rose to become master architect to the Dukes of Brabant and was even appointed personal architect to Emperor Charles V, who ennobled him in 1516. The master builder from Mechelen worked in Hoogstraten until his death in 1531. Afterward, work on the town hall continued under the direction of Hendrik Lambrechts and Antoon II Keldermans. The original town hall housed a concierge's lodge, a butcher's office, a secretariat, a council chamber, an archive storage room, and a two-part militia hall for the guilds. Today, the VisitHoogstraten office is located in the town hall. Source: www.visithoogstraten.be

Jozef Lauwerys (Olen, May 29, 1896 – Hoogstraten, May 10, 1982) was a Belgian Roman Catholic priest. After World War II, Lauwerys rebuilt St. Catherine's Church in Hoogstraten.[1] He taught history at the Hoogstraten Minor Seminary (1919-1945). In 1945, he became the parish priest and dean in Hoogstraten. He was chairman of the Hoogstraten Archaeological Society and editor-in-chief of the quarterly magazine HOK. He also contributed to Boekengids and published travelogues, folkloric, archaeological, and historical works.