The best walks and hikes around Wevelgem

Play forest with open spaces with play huts and a maze with living willow branches

Great cabin for observing the animals. Don't forget binoculars and, if necessary, a camera with a telephoto lens.

The first mention of a church on this site dates back to 1105, and its patronage was granted to the Abbey of St. Martin in Tournai. In 1581, the choir was damaged by iconoclasts. A three-aisled late-Gothic hall church was built around 1618. It had an octagonal crossing tower. In 1787, the church was significantly altered. A semicircular apse was added on the west side, the entrance was moved to the area of the crossing tower, and the old choir was converted into a porch. This reversed the church's orientation. In 1849, a major alteration took place, with the old crossing tower and the old choir being demolished, while the three naves were lengthened by 17 meters. This is how the current St. Amandus Church came into being. Inside, four 18th-century paintings hang: Descent from the Cross; Martyrdom of Saint Erasmus; Baptism of Christ and Adoration of the Shepherds. The pulpit dates from 1750. There are 17th-century and 18th-century confessionals. Source: Wikipedia

The war memorial on the village square of Gullegem commemorates the victims of both world wars. It features a statue of a "Victory Goddess" wearing a Belgian helmet and a later added memorial plaque for the soldiers who fell in May 1940. The memorial was unveiled in 1920 and restored in 2003.

What is now Brasserie Bergelen was formerly known as the "Bulscamphoeve" or "'t Hof van Hanssens," situated in the plain formed by sedimentary deposits from the Heulebeek stream. It is a moated farmstead, the oldest mention of which dates back to 1549. It is indicated on the Ferraris map (1770-1778) as a fully moated farmstead with detached buildings and a U-shaped layout. On the Atlas of Local Roads (1843), it is expanded to five volumes and presumably a gatehouse. The current, extensively renovated building stock is believed to date from 1775. Source: Inventory of Immovable Heritage

The Bergelenput is a 10 ha pond, which originated in the early seventies through sand extraction for the construction of the E403 (A17). Fifty years later, the pond and its surroundings have grown into a small but valuable nature reserve. Besides this observation hut, two viewing walls can also be found elsewhere in the area.

The Bergelen Provincial Estate in Wevelgem developed around a 10-hectare artificial sand extraction pit. The sand was used for the construction of the E403 (A17) motorway in the early 1970s. The municipality purchased this pit and surrounding land between 1989 and 1995. Various planting activities and numerous management works (reprofiling the banks, creating a water berm, building observation huts and walls, creating walking paths, constructing a bat shelter, digging ponds, etc.) were carried out by the municipal council. This created a small but very interesting nature reserve. In 1996, the farm and the 29 hectares of surrounding agricultural land were purchased by the province, and large parts of the newly acquired area were afforested. In 1999, the province entered into a lease with the municipality for the management of the Bergelen pit and its surroundings. This created the Bergelen Provincial Estate, which currently covers an area of 47 hectares. The Heulebeek stream flows along and through the estate, still following a largely natural course there. You'll also find the Bulskamphoeve, first mentioned in Gullegem in 1549. It's a historic farmstead whose horseshoe-shaped buildings are situated within the ramparts. The farmstead was destroyed several times during wartime and subsequently rebuilt or renovated. The current building is believed to date from 1775. A protected monument, the Meiboom, also stands in the area. This is a group of six lime trees with a large iron cross in the center. Source: wevelgem.be

Neo-Romanesque brick church, built between 1960 and 1962, designed by Allaert (Kortrijk). It was the parish church for the Tuinwijk district, located far west of Wevelgem's town center, and the later addition of Vogelwijk. The church was deconsecrated. The last mass was celebrated on Christmas Day 2022. Source: Inventory of Immovable Heritage & Wikipedia.