Albijn Van Den Abeele walking route
ALBIJN VAN DEN ABEELE WALKING ROUTE
Set out on a walk past the characteristic locations that Albijn Van den Abeele, together with his fellow painters of the Latem School, repeatedly put on canvas. Along the trail are information boards explaining about the artists.
Home of Albijn Van den Abeele
After a short stretch of Mortelputstraat, you arrive in Latemstraat (right side) at the former home of Albijn Van den Abeele (1835-1918), the namesake of this route. The solemn village house was an important meeting place of Latem painters, poets and sculptors, such as Xavier de Cock, Emile Claus, George Minne, the Van de Woestyne brothers and Valerius de Saedeleer, who liked to gather here for a drink or a cup of coffee. Van den Abeele himself was the forefather of the first group of artists - the "Latem School" - that gave Sint-Martens-Latem name and fame beyond our borders.
SAINT MARTIN'S CHURCH
Around 1900, after extensive renovations, the wide nave of this village church took on the appearance of three Gothic halls. Van den Abeele, Valerius de Saedeleer and Albert Servaes all painted the church many times. Van den Abeele and George Minne are buried in the cemetery, in a corner beyond the west entrance. In the north aisle of the church, you can admire "Onze-Lieve-Vrouw schenkt de rozenkrans aan Dominicus" (Our Lady gives the Rosary to Dominic), an imposing canvas by Gustave van de Woestyne.
Lys
In the village, deviate briefly from the route and walk right to the Lys. The view at the jetty, encompassing flat, green meadows and pollarded willows on the other side and the Temple Court and house of Valerius de Saedeleer on this side, is nothing short of impressive. Few other places in the region have been immortalised by artists as often as this Lys area.
Latemse Meersen
After the cultural tour, we use the boardwalk to dive into nature. Take a breather in the Latemse Meersen, a beautiful 130-hectare nature reserve with 8 kilometres of hiking trails. This area is 6 to 7 meters above sea level, barely one meter above the average level of the Lys River. The meadows look colourful in spring, with their daisies and soft dandelion seed-heads. On the meadow in April the Marsh Marigold stands out against the dark green, and in May there is a lilac carpet of cuckoo flowers. Birds such as the blue heron, mallard, stork, lapwing, buzzard and harrier are at home here, on the meadows and in the wetlands.
Torenhof
At Vossestraat, you can walk to the right toward Baarleveer, or to the left, where the imposing Torenhuis stands, the former home and studio of Albert Servaes. Today the "Torenhof" is a charming family hotel.
Latemse Koutermolen
Just before the starting point, you step past the Latemse Koutermolen or Sint-Baafsmolen, a wooden stake mill that belonged to Ghent's Saint Bavo's Abbey. Here, we are truly on the fertile fields or the "kouter", the former field area of Sint-Martens-Latem. Albijn Van den Abeele, Valerius de Saedeleer and Albert Saverys, among others, immortalised this eye-catching area on canvas several times.
Home of Albijn Van den Abeele
5 romantische wandelweekendjes
