The stone wall of Wezemaal

According to popular belief, the stone wall of Wezemaal goes back to the Middle Ages. Records indeed prove that count Arnold of Wezemaal owned a vineyard back in 1254. Wine growing in the region might even go back as far as the 11th century.

From the 14th to the 16th century, cultivation of wine in the Hageland had its ups and downs. It stopped abruptly in 1570. Competition from the (better) German and French wines, the success of hop beers and a change in climate all contributed to this decline.

From then on, no wine was grown, until J F Audoor, a civil servant from Brussels, obtains permission from the Count of Ursel to start a vineyard. He recruits a viticulturist from Hoei to establish a 6 ha vineyard in 1817. By 1834, already 32 ha are being cultivated. In 1828, a record production of 32500 liter is achieved.

Both King Willem I (before 1830) and King Leopold I (after Belgium’s independence) looked favourably on wine cultivation in Wezemaal, but nevertheless, production stopped again in 1845.

Except for a timid attempt by Adolf Schuler in the thirties, Wezemaal was again without wine culture for well over a century. In 1982, a group of local enthusiasts, with strong support from the municipality, established the association ‘Steenen Muur’ and started 3 vineyards for a total of 0.7 ha. Today, Wezemaal, part of Rotselaar, aims to profile itself as a wine village in Flanders.

So what’s the story behind the wall? It’s not medieval. Instead, it’s a relatively new construction dating from 1814 (one year before the battle of Waterloo). It was constructed to protect the southern slope of the Wijngaardberg (literally “Vineyard Hill”) against the cold north wind. As secondary benefits, it served to keep unwanted animals out, and acted as a demarcation line. The wall was constructed by stapling iron sandstone found on the hill.

Why the need for this wall? At the time, it was believed that wine could not be grown above 50 degrees latitude. Wezemaal is at 51 degrees (approximate latitude of Brussels, Louvain, Cologne), which made its vineyards the most northern ones in Europe in the 19th century.

Despite its northern location, the Wezemaal Wijngaardberg combines several ideal conditions. The southern slope optimally captures sunlights, while the iron sandstones underground store heat that they slowly release at night, so that the soil does not cool down too much. Cool air rolls down the hill and the wind quickly blows morning dew away. These conditions create a suitable microclimate.

Meanwhile, there are plenty more vineyards even further north of Wezemaal, e.g. in the Netherlands, and Wezemaal is no longer Europe’s most northern vineyard. Are these growing wine cultures in Belgium, Netherlands and Southern England facilitated by climate change?

The wall can be visited by a 3 km walk, which takes you through the middle of the vineyards. The wall itself is 1546 m long, and was originally 1.7 meters wide and up to 2 meters tall. Meanwhile, many stretches of the wall are badly damaged, and vegetation has taken over much of the function of the wall. There is also a longer, 8 km walk available. Both walks are clearly signposted.

The short walk starts at the chapel in the Beninkstraat in Rotselaar. The long walk starts at the visitor centre for the wine in the region.

More information

• Visitor center: http://www.rotselaar.be/Index.aspx?SGREF=2734&CREF=19065 (EN-FR-DE)
• Steenen Muur: http://www.steenenmuur.be/ (Flemish only)
• Nearby: Horst Castle: http://www.kasteelvanhorst.be (Flemish only)

St Jacob up Coudenberg

 Churches have towers. Temples don’t. But a temple-like building with a tower-like construction dominates the Royal Square of Brussels. It’s St Jacob up Coudenberg, one of the finest examples of neo-classical construction in Belgium - if it weren’t for the tower (or dome?).

The current building dates from the 18th century. The first stone was laid in 1776 and the church was consecrated in 1787. It’s the church where Leopold I, Belgium’s first King, took the oath. The funeral ceremony for several Kings and Princes took place in it. It presently acts as the Church of the Diocese of the Armed Forces.

The (religious) history of the site goes back much further. It started in the 12th century, when an oratory dedicated to St James was established. In the 13th century, the Dukes of Brabant set up residence on the Coudenberg and the site subsequently gained in prestige and importance. In the 14th century, the Regular Canons of the church adopted the rule of St Augustin and set up a provostship on the site, which by the 18th century evolved into the Coudenberg Abbey.

From the church steps, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the city from the top of the Coudenberg, a hill that lies about 40 meters higher than the western part of the city near the harbour.

Take the opportunity to walk around the museum district. Within 100 meters, there are 6 of Brussels’ major museums to visit (Fine Arts - Ancient & Modern, Magritte, Musical Instruments, BelVue, Coudenberg Palace).

Across the square, there is the Brussels Tourist Office, where you must get a copy of the pocket guide to Brussels - it lists over a 1000 addresses, and includes a map with several walks around themes as diverse as Art Nouveau, Comic Strips or European Union.

Science & technology education centers in Europe

Recently, we introduced two science education centers on this blog - The Pass and Technopolis. These are more such centers in and around Belgium. Hereby an initial list to rate, comment or add your own.:

The Beguinage of Leuven - a brick symphony

Since its restoration in the 80s, the beguinage of Leuven has become one of the major attractions of the city. Among Belgium’s ~30 beguinages, this is one of the larger ones, and it has been well preserved in its integrity, including its outer walls and some of its gates.

At its peak, almost 300 beguines lived in this miniature city of seven streets and around 100 buildings, of which 11 community houses. Today, the beguinage is used for student accommodation, and for hosting visiting professors and their families.

The Leuven beguinage was founded early in the 13th century, sometime between 1205 and 1234, when a group of women moved to the neighbourhood near St Quinten’s church to establish a religious community. The beguinage was recognised in 1250 as a parish, and placed under the protection of the abbot of the Cistercian Abbey of Villers-La-Ville. The beguinage church was constructed in the 14th century. A golden age started for the beguinage. Through many gifts, it became a rich institution, and reached its peak in the 17th century.

The current restoration in Flemish renaissance style is based on this period. The University of Leuven took over the derelict buildings in 1962 and started to restore them with much attention to detail, while accommodating modern technologies. Ironically, the beguinage probably never looked in the past as it looks today - rather beguinages were architectural ensembles hosting buildings from various centuries.

As this is the second article about beguinages on this blog, and certainly not the last one, let’s spend a few words on this movement which started around 1200. Why did these women, wishing to lead a religious life, establish beguinages and not convents? After all, monastic life was booming in the Middle Ages, with plenty of religious orders to choose from. However, joining the order, with its vows of poverty and obedience was not for everyone. For many women, the beguinage offered an attractive alternative between the limited options of marriage and the religious order. Moreover, due to almost continuous warfare at the time, there was a surplus of women in Europe. Beguinages attracted widowed in addition to unmarried women.

These beguines did not take vows and could leave the beguinage without repercussions. Beguinages were located inside cities, and beguines could leave the site to visit town (under certain conditions).

This helps to explain why the beguine movement was largely confined to women. There were some male beguines, but for men, there were many more alternatives. They could pursue many professions, including a career in the military. Moreover, there was no surplus of men.

Other questions remain why the beguine movement was limited to North-West Europe, or why only the Flemish beguinages survive until today, at least as architectural heritage. We’ll address these questions in a future article.

If you plan a walk through the city of Leuven (Louvain), by all means pass by the beguinage. Nearby, you can also visit St Quinten’s Church. Or have a casual lunch at the Dijlemolens.

References

1. Diriken, Pierre. Geogids Leuven. Kortessem: Georeto, 2006. Print
2. "Flemish Beguinages." World Heritage Centre. UNESCO. Web. 06 May 2012. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/855
3. Van Den Hoek, K.A. Dwalen Door Leuven. Lekturama, 1988. Print

Technopolis - learning science by doing

Technopolis in Mechelen is a technology & science center for all ages, though best enjoyed in a family group. The greenfield site opened in 2000 and now attracts a quarter million visitors per year. A single visit might not suffice, as there is a lot to explore, and a temporary exhibition area that changes regularly.

For smaller children, there are a number of areas to learn and play. For example:

• a water playing area, that is always crowded
• a lever to lift a car
• an exhibit to measure the water content in your body
• experiments with sound and music

While some of the exhibits are common to many science education centers, Technopolis has developed also a few innovative exhibits that make it unique.

Technopolis shows over 280 exhibits covering the wide field of science, but not straying beyond. Unlike the Pass or Cité des Sciences, Technopolis does not attempt to explain the ethical, environmental, economic or social consequences of technology deployment. Through this focus, it achieves much better coverage of its field.

To achieve the difficult task of scientific communication, Technopolis operates by the principle of the Trojan horse, i.e. always to present science in an attractive package, such as a story or experiment.

The 280 exhibits can be grouped into 7 themes, all based on our daily surroundings:

1. Air and wind: land a plane in a flight simulator built in the cockpit of an airplane. Or apply a ventilator to various wind turbine configurations, to observe their difference in efficiency
2. Structures: build various structures for a bridge and observe their stability, ...
3. Waterside: build a dam, ...
4. Home: sleep on a ball pool or a bed of nails, and judge for yourself which is more comfortable, ...
5. Invisible: the worlds of electricity, sound, …
6. Space travel: check your weight on different planets. How hot is the sun? …
7. Action/reaction: play with potential and kinetic energy with an enormous ball chute, or ride a bicycle 5.2 meters above ground

Entrance is a bit expensive at 12 euro per person, so make the most of your visit. Technopolis has a cafetaria allowing you to spend a full day. This can be a bit much for families with young children - they can consider the annual subscription formula. There is also a nice shop to buy science books and memorabilia (with quite a few good gift ideas).