Kon. Astridplein, 9150 Bazel
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Public transport
Display public transport on mapKruibeekse Kreek routebord
Preview waypointsDiscover the typical polder landscape of Kruibeke with this scenic route. Tidal nature, alder woodland forests and meadow bird habitat alternate with each other.
Bazel is on the list of the 50 most beautiful villages in Flanders and has rightly earned that position. The church in the picturesque Koningin Astridplein is the starting point for this route. The square is also home to various cafes and restaurants that you can visit before or after your walk.
The newly constructed ring dike protects the residential areas of Kruibeke, Bazel and Rupelmonde and ensures that incoming Scheldt water remains within the limits of the controlled flood plain. An adjacent tarmac towpath invites cyclists away from all the traffic between Kruibeke, Bazel and Rupelmonde.
A ferry service across the Scheldt from Bazel to Hemiksem is mentioned as early as the 13th century. At the time, it was part of an important thoroughfare. Indeed, the priests at the Sint-Bernardus Abbey in Hemiksem owned properties in Bazel and the surrounding area. The ferry was subsequently used by residents of the surrounding communities to commute to and from firms across the Scheldt. Today it is especially popular with cycling and hiking tourists, who combine the crossing with a visit to the flood plain or Wissekerke Castle. There is a crossing every 30 minutes.
The Barbierbeek rises in Sint-Niklaas and for many years formed the natural border between the villages of Kruibeke and Bazel. In heavy rainfall, the brook often burst its banks, causing severe flooding in the past. When the flood plain was built, the Barbierbeek was given a new, wider bed. A reservoir on the edge of Bazel directs the water through pipes inside the ring dike, where the Barbierbeek carries it through the polder via the drainage structure in Kruibeke to the Scheldt.
You may know Pieterjan Gijs and Arnout Van Vaerenbergh, together the artist duo Gijs Van Vaerenbergh, from the famous transparent church in Limburg. But they were also commissioned to produce work in Kruibeke, in their unique way with a strong focus on public space and the tension between architecture and art. The result is Arcade, a representation of the ancient connection between village and polders.
This moated castle, erected in the 10th century, was a crucial part of the line of defence on the Scheldt. The castle itself is a neo-Gothic gem, incorporating early Empire elements. You can't visit the interior for the time being due to renovation work, but the outside is also more than worthwhile.