Flemish Béguinages
The Beguines were women who entered into a life dedicated to God without retiring from the world. In the 13th century they founded the béguinages, enclosed communities designed to meet their spiritual and material needs.
The béguinages are (often walled) compounds where houses, churches, public buildings and gardens make up a secluded town.
In Belgium, the 13 world heritage béguinages consist of the ones in Gent, Leuven, Kortrijk, Mechelen, Brugge, Dendermonde, Turnhout, Sint-Amandsberg, Sint-Truiden, Lier, Diest, Tongeren and Hoogstraten.
Brick architecture . Exact locations inscribed twice (or more) . Opera . WHS within walking distance .
Visit January 2001, April 2005
The béguinage I first visited (the one in Lier) was not in a very good state. Some parts of it seemed really rundown, although people did live in them.
The 'Groot Begijnhof' (there's also a smaller one) in Leuven however is a true haven of peace and quiet. Behind a modest gate a well preserved neighbourhood lies ahead.
On the Sunday that I visited the site many visitors, a lot of them foreign tourists, roamed the streets of this picturesque beguinage. There's a photo opportunity around every corner. Great place!
More photos can be found in the Picture Gallery
Reviews
Peter (South Africa):
I have visited the following begijnhoven: Bruges - so pretty and calm with a lovely tree-filled green in the centre; Lier - lovely and one of the best with a real sense of the enclosed community of days gone past; Gent - there are three of them varying in attractiveness; Anderlecht (Brussels) - tiny and utterly charming; Leuven - rather formal and modernised as part of the KUL (University), but tell-tale signs of how it must once have looked naturally; Oudenaarde - small and not hugely memorable; Kortrijk - lovely with beautiful green and pretty chapel; Antwerp - pretty; Mechelen - not quite such an enclosed feel but still pretty. I love these places !! |
| Date posted: September 2006 |
Ian Cade (England):
 I have now seen quite a few of the Beginhofs, and the ones I have seen have been very impressive. The one in Brugge was nice but had a lot of tourists in it so it lost some of its ambience. The best example I have visited though was in Leuvan, which has two both very well preserved, the larger one is just South of the Centre and is truly fantastic, I has a river running through it and is still used by the University, there are not many tourists so you can still get an idea of how relaxed it is to be there. The city around it is stunning as well! The Belfry on the Grote Markt is part of the WHS ‘Belfries of Flanders and Wallonia’ and the Stadthuis is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture leaving even the Hotel d’Ville in Brussels in the shade. The city is a proper University town so there are plenty of places to go out and the atmosphere is fantastic, not to mention the beer! Also as an extra incentive it is on the provisional list to become a WHS in itself so a potential 3 for the price of one! |
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Jeremy Tollpuddle (England):
I awould just like to reiterate what some of the other entries have said. I vistied the Béguinages in Leuvan (there are two of them)and they were very nice and i was pleased to see still being lived in!! Leuvan is also a beutiful city with a great atmoshere and nightlife well worth a visit in its own right, also the cathedral is part of the Flemish? Wallonian Belfries entry to UNESCO list so you can kill two birds with one stone! |
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Cel Vrancken (Belgium):
The description of the beguinage of Lier on your site is outrageous. No part of it is "really rundown". Your own picture shows houses that have been completely renovated. Of course people still live there, there is a long waiting list and people fight for every house that becomes available. The church has been restored to its previous splendor as well. Please urgently update your site !!! |
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chris vandenbroucke (belgium):
Since I live in Belgium and was born near Courtrai (French name of the city), I pass the Kortrijk (Dutch name) beguinage nearly daily.
It's not the most spectacular in Belgium but I like the quiet atmosphere.
So, please mention it in your list |
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Ludovic Janssens (Belgium):
Dear webmaster,
You're forgetting the fantastique béguinages of Leuven. This city owns even two by the UNESCO recognised important béguinages a big and a little one. If you visit the site www.leuven.be, you probably find some more information on it.
sincerely,
Ludovic Janssens |
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