With Spring in the air, new beginnings hail in Flanders, with longer, warmer days.
The reopening of Rubens House with its new experience centre and baroque garden promises to offer visitors a rich cultural experience inspired by the renowned artist’s works. And what better way to celebrate the arrival of summer than with the annual Beer Passion festival in Antwerp, where locals and visitors alike can indulge in the region’s rich brewing tradition.
Mechelen’s art-nouveau glass house sounds like a true hidden gem, nestled within the historic setting of a former girl’s boarding school. Its reopening is sure to delight art enthusiasts and history buffs alike.
The innovative “floating” cycle path in Hoge Kempen National Park sounds like a unique way to experience the natural beauty of the region. Cycling enthusiasts will surely be eager to explore this new addition to Flanders’ outdoor offerings.
And for those with a penchant for history, the reopening of the Last Post ceremony under the Menin Gate in Ypres is a poignant moment, allowing pilgrims to pay their respects and honor the memory of those who sacrificed their lives.
With so much to see and do, Flanders offers a rich tapestry of cultural, historical, and natural attractions for visitors to explore.
Arts and Heritage:
Rubens House – Opening of the new Experience Centre and Baroque Garden, 30 August 2024, Rubens House, Antwerp
The Rubens House, also known as the Rubenhuis, was the residence and workplace of Peter Paul Rubens. On August 30, 2024, the Rubenshuis experience centre and its garden will re-open to the public. The entrance has been relocated, where a new building will serve as the gateway to the Rubens Experience, a beautifully renovated Baroque garden, and new library. The garden now boasts 17,500 plants and flowers that thrive throughout the year and a view of Rubens’s former home. During the ongoing restoration work, the former museum area of Rubens House, which was the artist’s residence, will remain closed until 2030.
Winter Garden re-opening 29 May 2024
Close to Mechelen lies a hidden gem known as the Winter Garden. This is a unique heritage site that introduces visitors to the grandeur of a former international boarding school for girls. Run by the Ursuline order, this showpiece is the enchanting art nouveau winter garden dating back to 1900. The magnificent stained-glass dome creates a magical play of light and colour throughout the room. It displays morning, day and evening aspects, which are popular themes in Art Nouveau. The glass panes depict teams of plants and animals. In fact, little is known about what prompted the nuns to build such an opulent structure even more intriguing is the fact that nobody knows who designed the Winter Garden- despite its high quality and excellence.
Cycling News
Terhills Floating Bridge opens June 2024 Hoge kempen National Park, Limburg
From June, bike enthusiasts can look forward to a new attraction in Terhills: a S-shaped floating bridge for bikes and pedestrians within the distinctive natural environment of the Hoge Kempen National park. Currently under construction, this steel structure will create a floating structure over the waterway. Visitors will be able to cycle across a floating bridge with some great 360° vistas of the beautiful landscape of the Terhills site, shaped by its history of mining.
Gastronomy and Beer
Beer Passion Festival 21-23 June 2024 Antwerp
The ‘Bierpassieweekend’ (Beer Passion weekend) is the ideal occasion for beer connoisseurs and zythologists to discover the charms of Antwerp and taste a dazzling array of Belgian beers. The Groenplaats, one of Antwerp’s most stunning squares, hosts about 40 breweries presenting 200 or more beers, and the festival offers visitors the chance to discover the rich palette of flavours in high-quality Belgian beer.