The best city hikes and walks around Donkmeer

The ter Beuken city park originally started as a landscaped garden around Villa ter Beuken. Every two years, it is transformed into a Temporary Centre for Spatial Art. Since 1981, the city, in collaboration with the Municipal Commission for Artistic Heritage, has been organizing open-air exhibitions there. And... yes, there are a few level differences in the park, which make the park extra attractive for both walkers and mountain bikers. Source: lokeren.be

From March 20, 2026, to January 3, 2027, the Lokers Stadmuseum will host the exhibition "Gebeiteld", dedicated to the work of Lokerse sculptor Roger Bracke (1913-1993), who, besides this Peace Monument, also created the "Girl by the Water" on Durmelaan in the city center. Source: lokeren.be

From March 20, 2026, to January 3, 2027, the Lokeren City Museum will host the exhibition "Gebeiteld" (Chiseled), dedicated to the work of the Lokerse sculptor Roger Bracke (1913-1993), who, besides this "Girl by the Water", also created the Peace Monument in front of the station. Source: lokeren.be

The former post office building on the corner of Durmelaan and Markt dates from 1906 and is therefore 120 years old. In early 2019, it was purchased by the city. The appearance of this building is very significant: it is, after all, one of the four landmarks present on each corner of the Markt, namely the town hall, the Saint Lawrence Church, the city museum, and thus the post office building. The fact that it is a protected monument and part of the protected cityscape makes it not obvious for a private developer to find a suitable destination, but the city council did see opportunities here. The building has stood empty in recent years, but - after the first essential repairs to the roof (2020) - the city began thorough renovation works in 2023 (obviously without changing anything to the facade). Both the Tourism and Events department and the City Archives will find accommodation here. In addition to these two departments, the former post office building also provides space for the municipal council, ceremonial occasions, and meetings. Source: lokeren.be

Since August 2025, Ravello, an ice cream parlor, has been located here. It is run by the couple who have been running the pop-up cocktail bar 'Bar Botanique' for several years during the Lokerse feesten in a nearby building on Prosper Thuysbaertlaan.

Het Brughuis, the official residence of "de brugdraaier" (the bridge operator), the official who operated the then swing bridge over the Durme, was built in 1909 in the neo-Flemish Renaissance style typical of the time, designed by Lokeren architect Henri Vanden Broucke. Source: Facade stone above the building's door

Part of what is now the parish centre of Zele, is formed by a building that was founded in 1876 as a 'preschool' (= old name of what is now a nursery school) led by the sisters of the Kapelhof. From 1977 to 1988 the library was located here.

In the front garden of the rectory there is a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It was placed there on the initiative of pastor-dean De Keukelaere as a thank you for the protection of the community during the Second World War. It was inaugurated on 19 August 1945 by Monsignor Coppieters. The high street wall with fencing as a closure of the front garden, placed around 1875 and possibly with reused posts from the old cemetery entrance, was removed and replaced by a low brick wall. The plinth of the statue reads: "Memorial/ of Zele’s thanks/ and dedication to the/ Sacred Heart of Jesus/ 19 harvest 1945". Source: Inventory of Immovable Heritage