Monday, May 12, 2025

Bakkersmolen

 

The Bakkersmolen 'baker's mill' is a great stop when visiting the area of Essen and Kalmthout. What's there:

  • The mill, built in 1981 which operates on Sundays.
  • An adjacent museum of steam machines of various sizes.
  • A playground and train for children from 36 months.
  • An artisanal bakery with a museum room on baking techniques.
  • A brasserie. 

Visited May 2025, on a glorious spring day (while the summer season had not yet fully started). 

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ID 201 on the Belgian Tourist Map. A visit to the Bakkersmolen can be combined with nearby sites such as the Bee Expo, 'Bijenexpo' - ID 320 or the museum dedicated to comic strip heros Suske en Wiske - ID 465.

Sunday, May 11, 2025

Lillo - fortress, museum and former polder village

Lillo is a twin fortress with Liefkenshoek across the Scheldt river. These two fortresses were strategically located to defend Antwerp's harbour entrance. 

What can be seen?

  • Significant buildings from the former fortress: casemates, officer houses and the powder magazine. The latter is now a theatre.
  • The Polder Museum, open only on Sunday afternoons.
  • The nearby White Mill 'the unicorn'.
  • Worth mentioning: Lillo is the most northern stop for the waterbus which stops at eight places on its way south to Hemiksem. A day pass can be acquired on-board to visit them all.

Since 2008, Lillo organizes an annual second-hand book sale in summer. The 2025 edition takes place on July 13 and August 10.

The twin fortresses are also part of Antwerp's 'fortress belt', a defence network of over 20 fortifications.

Visited May 2025. This is tourism off the beaten track, suitable for locals, local history enthusiasts or deep explorers of Belgium.

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ID 633 on the Belgian tourist map. See also ID 284 for the Polder Museum. Other nearby sites within easy driving range are the Fortress of Liefkenshoek (ID 54 - reachable through a toll tunnel), the re-emerging village of Doel (ID 468).

See also Jos van Aerde's website about Lillo Fortress, remnant of a former polder village.

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Grand Place (Brussels)

The Grand Place in Brussels is the city’s central square, known for its ornate guildhalls, the Town Hall, and the King's House (Maison du Roi). It hosts events such as the Flower Carpet and the Christmas Market. The square has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998.

ID #1 on the Belgian Tourist Map, it is probably the most reviewed Belgian tourist site on Google Maps (150k+ reviews, average rating 4.7 as of December 2024). It confidently features as one of the top sites in Belgium because of its grandeur and surroundings.

The site is amply described elsewhere, e.g. on the official website of the city of Brussels - https://www.brussels.be/grand-place-brussels

The name Grand Place is popular in Belgium. Together with "Grote Markt" in Flemish, it applies to dozens of towns. Among these, the "Grote Markt" in Sint-Niklaas, with its three hectares (7 acres),  has the largest surface area. 

Visited at multiple occasions, normally at least once per year, e.g. for the flower carpet, the Christmas Market or another happening.

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ID 1 on the Belgium Tourist Map. With over 160,000 ratings, it is one of the most reviewed Belgian tourist attractions. The Grand Place is surrounded by tourist attractions around every corner.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Eben-Emael, the Titanic of Fortresses

Fort Eben-Emael was constructed between '32 and '35 as a defense against German aggression. It was one of the most modern fortresses of its time, but unfortunately designed too much with a WWI mindset. It was stronger than anything constructed by the French in the Maginot line or anything by the Germans in the West Wall.

Deemed impregnable by both the Germans and the Allies, it was incapacited within half an hour following a bold attack on May 10, 1940 by a German elite force using glider planes. Thirty hours later, Eben-Emael surrendered.

The current fortress is exploited by volunteers, some ex-military, that spend every effort to keep the fortress alive. Guides lead you through the 5 km of tunnels during a tour of 2-3 hours (depending on how much questions you ask, or how many stories they tell).

This visit is an absolute must, but carefully check the limited opening times to avoid disappointment.

ID 427 on the Belgian tourist map. In the vicinity is the Eben-Ezer tower. a curiosity well worth visiting.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Antwerp's city museum (MAS)

Antwerp is a world port and a great medieval city that hosted two world exhibitions in the 19th century. When it opened its new city museum in 2011, expectations were high. But considering Antwerp's rich historical and maritime heritage, the 'Museum aan de Stroom (MAS)' could have been a little more.

Still, the MAS merits a visit for the architecture of its building and surroundings and for its panorama. From the collection, the visible storage showing a sample of the museum's 180,000 objects is an interesting idea.

The building, the boulevard, the panorama and visible storage are freely accessible. Up to you whether you want to see the permanent collection.

ID #401 on the Belgian Tourist Map

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Discovery of dinosaurs


A few weeks ago, we went to the Museum of the Iguanodons in Bernissart. There were not a lot of people in the musuem so we could go around quietly . We were welcomed with ample explanations at the reception. There is a translation text for the panels available in different languages.

The museum is very well organised. It covers mainly the Iguanodons and their discovery in the area. There are many other fossil remains from prehistoric times to admire. In particular, a small collection of petrified trees caught our attention. In summer, you can visit the place nearby where the Iguanodons were found in the 19th century.

A visit takes about an hour. In the main hall you see an authentic skeleton of an iguanodon, explanations on the prehistory, a dinosaur egg, etc. There are 3 additional rooms. Near the entrance there is a small shop.

In Bernissart, coal is mined since 1849. In April 1878, the Iguanodons were found at a depth of 320-350 m. There were 31 complete skeletons as well as 3,000 fossil remains of fish, crocodiles, turtles, ferns and fragments of insects. The remains were particularly well preserved during 130 million years in the clay soil, sealing the skeletons from air and water and protecting them from decay. It took three years to dig up all these fossil remains.

A few facts about dinosaurs
  • Iguanodons weighed approximately 5 tons.
  • The name dinosaur was only formulated in 1841 by Richard Owen.
  • Paleontologists estimate that there were 2,000-3,000 species of dinosaurs, of which currently only 600 are known.
  • Dinosaurs were big but not very smart - they had relatively small brains.
  • Though there are more than 80 theories about the disappearance of the dinosaurs, still ignore the real reason.
  • Mantell, an English scholar found a few teeth from iguanodons and compared them with those of an iguana, hence the name'' iguanodon'' or “tooth of an iguana”. Although scientists subsequently discovered that this interpretation was incorrect, they nevertheless decided to retain the name.
The discovery in Bernissart was particularly important because the 31 whole skeletons of the same species were found for the first time. Before that, scientists had to speculate about dinosaurs on the basis of loose bones and skulls. After Bernissart, they could form a clearer picture of how dinosaurs looked like.

Practical information
You find the museum about a good hour's drive from Brussels, in the Ruelle des Médecins 13, 7320 Bernissart. The museum is open throughout the year. Besides school groups, the museum welcomes about fifteen visitors per day. Bernissart is 15 km from Valenciennes, and is not far from Mons and Tournai. On the way back, you can visit Grand Hornu or Le Pass.
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ID #316 on the Belgian Tourist Map

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Brussels Museum for Mill and Food


Evere is a village in Brabant with a history dating back at least to the 12th century. Until the 20th century, however, it remained an agricultural village in the vicinity of Brussels, by which it was eventually absorbed.

The mill dates back to 1841, and hosted various industrial activities until it became the “Brussels Museum for Mill and Food” in 2008.

Apart from a small permanent exhibition on milling techniques, the museum hosts each year a temporary exhibition on a food-related theme. Currently, this theme is ‘Sweet Candy’ and it covers the history, folklore, industry and health effects of candy.

This is a visit for all ages. Displays are in Flemish or French.