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.
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
John Booth (New Zealand):
While seeking our belfries I also visited many of the Belgian beguinages:
Kortrijk - beguinage of St Elisabeth, a quiet and secluded courtyard
Ghent - Beguinage of the Virgin Mary, a large church
Ghent - St Amandsberg beguinage, secluded courtyard and gardens
Dendermonde - beguinage of St Alexius, large with a grassy courtyard
Bruges - large, peaceful, neat and tidy
Tongeren - untidy
Diest - pleasant garden with many statues
Leuven - large beguinage (small is not WHS), austere, serves as university staff accommodation
Mechlen - generally shabby, church is undergoing restoration
Turnhout - several grottoes and calvaries
Lier - untidy entrance, but neat garden beyond |
| Date posted: May 2010 |
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):
 Having travelled pretty extensively in Flanders, I have managed to see quite a few Begijnhofs. The most impressive one I have seen so far is the Groot Begijnhof of Leuven. It is quite large and the quiet winding cobbled streets and redbrick houses are a lovely place to wander, especially if you are recovering from a long night in this superb cities student bars.
Whilst visiting friends in Gent I wandered around for a morning visiting the Begijnhofs there. Both of the inscribed areas were quiet refuges and displayed all the hallmarks associated with this style of urban planning. Sint-Amandsberg was a longish walk from the centre however it was very large and was the last example to be built. Walking around it was nice to see that it was still fully inhabited; there were lots of children being dropped off by their parents at one house which was decorated by balloons.
One of the most charming examples was in Kortrijk. This walled community is tucked just behind the main market square but it feels incredibly serene. In here there is a small museum dedicated to the lives of the beguines, and also one of the houses is now a guest house, offering perhaps the only opportunity for a short term stay for the casual tourist.
Even the Begijnhof in Brugge is calm in comparison to the rest of the tourist bustle of the city. This is where the real charm of the Begijnhofs lies; they are exceptionally well preserved examples of Western European urban planning. Whilst there are many other instances of this in other cities in the area, a lot of them are overexploited. However in these little pockets of Flemish towns and cities everyday life still continues, without a lace shop or waffle stand to spoil the ambience. |
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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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