Roger Raveel hiking route
Roger Raveel hiking route
Whoever says Machelen-aan-de-Leie, says Roger Raveel. With the Roger Raveel walking route, you can take a short trip through the life and art of this art icon. Starting at the Roger Raveel Museum, you will walk past his various homes and studios, and through beautiful natural spots nearby.
Roger Raveel Museum
Near the church, Raveel saw the Roger Raveel Museum erected in 1999 – a sleek, white, contemporary building that harmonises perfectly with the picturesque village centre of Machelen-aan-de-Leie. Connoisseurs call it one of the most captivating and poetic works by the renowned architect Stéphane Beel. Inside, you'll discover a fantastic collection of Raveel's work: 279 paintings, 511 drawings and 19 objects have been housed here. Raveel's style was well ahead of its time and is characterised by a mixture of abstract and figurative, which come together symbiotically in his paintings. Some recurring elements are white squares, bright colours and mirrors. The Roger Raveel Museum shows off his collection through annually alternating collection presentations and provides a broader context for Raveel's work in temporary exhibitions featuring work by contemporaries, as well as contemporary artists from home and abroad.
The poles of the unlimited
Right by the museum is part of "The Poles of the Unlimited," a series of three painted concrete poles eight, six and four metres high, respectively. Later in the walk, you'll also pass by the other two. The colourful "environment" artwork was unveiled in 2011 and points the way to the museum. Mirrors reflect the environment and the viewer, thus merging art and reality: typical of Raveel.
De Leeuw House
Even more art in Machelen! This striking corner house in Machelen Village was successively a café, childcare service and social housing before being repurposed as a modern exhibition space in 2008. In five exhibition spaces spread over two floors, professional and semi-professional artists can present their works.
Raveel's childhood home
On Petegem Street (No. 33) is Raveel's childhood home. In 1948, Roger Raveel and Zulma De Nijs married and moved in with his father, Gustave Raveel. Gustave had set up a studio for Roger in the attic room above the liquor store, which Zulma continued to run after Roger's mother died in 1946.
Military cemetery
Hidden behind a screen of greenery lies the French Military Cemetery. In this serene place rest 750 soldiers who fought under the French flag during the Final Offensive of 1918 and died in the region of the Lys and the Scheldt. On the graves of Christian soldiers is a traditional cross, on Muslim graves was an appropriate crescent, on that of Jewish soldiers the Star of David. This cemetery is the second-largest French military cemetery in Belgium, next to Saint-Jean de Potyze near Zonnebeke.
Gerard Revemuur and Villa Ter Ide
On Georges-Jozef Imschootplein, you can see the second part of Raveel's "The Poles of the Unlimited". A little further on is the Gerard Reve wall: a five-metre-long white concrete wall on which Reve's poem "Credo" is written in copper letters. Gerard Reve (1923-2006), known for such works as "The Evenings", is counted among "The Big Three" of post-war Dutch writers, along with Harry Mulisch and Willen Frederik Hermans. He lived in Machelen from 1993 until his death, on Posthoornstraat, just outside the village centre. The wall stands in the garden of Villa Ter Ide, a 1920s house of Anglo-Norman-style construction where artist Martin Wallaert has his studio. It can be freely visited every Sunday from 2pm to 6pm and by appointment.
Het Leiebolleke
Net voorbij de Gerard Revemuur vind je het verfrissende ijssalon Het Leiebolleke. Bij mooi weer kan je je op hun zonneterras installeren. Kinderen kunnen zich uitleven in de aanpalende speeltuin.
The New Vision square
Across the street from Hostens grain windmill is "The New Vision" square with Raveel's "The Wall of Imagination." In this meticulously crafted concrete structure of nearly 40 metres, Raveel brings his painterly language of form to life in the mirrors, white squares, grass-green gates and white posts. The sculpture group represents, among others, Raveel himself and his first wife Zulma, his technical assistant Luc Levrau (the craftsman who performed the work) as well as a cat, Raveel's beloved and often portrayed pet.
Raveel Studios
Just down the road at Hoevestraat 14, where Roger Raveel lived, you can visit two of his studios: the Painting Studio in the renovated Flax Barn and the Graphics Studio, where he made numerous etchings, woodcuts and linocuts. Note: You can't just walk into the studios. They are only open to individual visitors at certain weekends. Group visits can be made by appointment. All the information at www.atelierrogerraveel.be.
Tomb of Gerard Reve
Past the Hoevestraat-Veerstraat intersection is the new Machelen-aan-de-Leie cemetery on the left. This was where that other great 'son' of Machelen found his final resting place: the famous Dutch writer Gerard Reve, who came to live here in 1993. You will find his grave if you go straight ahead at the entrance, then left behind the large cross.
Machelenput
Just down the road is the old Leiearm Machelenput ('Lys Arm Machelen Well'), a tourist attraction that is part of an 8-hectare nature and recreation area. In the 1970s, when people wanted to drain all the arms of the Lys, Machelen well's survival was threatened for a while. Raveel disagreed with the plans and protested in his own way: using a raft covered with blue plastic bags on which he had mounted a painting, he sailed down the Lys. The "Raveel on the Lys" protest received so much media attention that the damming plans were dropped.
For the little ones, there are two play areas around Machelenput: an adventure island with play equipment along Brugstraat, and a playground on the other bank. More fun for kids: you can use a ferry to pull yourself across. At Machelenput, the folk festival "Leieleude "is organized every year in July, born after Roger Raveel's 80th birthday year, and in September the event "Tobbedansen," a competition in which daredevils dive into the water from a ramp with home-made vehicles and vessels. Whoever can ring the bell the fastest wins.
Tomb of Roger Raveel
On the square at Machelenput, you'll get a nice view of Machelen's church with its cemetery and walkway. Together, they form a protected village landmark. The steps take you to the cemetery and past the walkway. Two important people in Roger Raveel's life were given their final resting place here: Raveel's father, Gustave (fourth row to the right, fourth tombstone) and his first wife Zulma De Nijs (second row to the left from the exit to Gildestraat), to whom Roger Raveel was married for more than 60 years and who figures as a muse in his most famous paintings and drawings, are buried on the other side of the church. Her silhouette stands out recognisably among the tombs and was designed by Roger Raveel.
Since 2013, Raveel himself has also been resting in this cemetery. A sloping white square in marble and a cast of his very last work – a decoupage of a bird – adorn his grave.
6 x wandelen langs bijzondere monumenten
6 x hiking and cycling past original playgrounds
