Contributions of the group Belgium

België - Kortrijk, Broeltorens

nobody@ipernity.com (Jaap van 't Veen) — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 07:13:51 +0000

The Broeltorens (Broel Towers) - constructed from lime- and sandstone - are dating back around the year 1400. The southern Speytorre (to the right of the main photo) was constructed in 1385 to control traffic on the river Leie. The northerly Inghelburghtorre is dating back to 1415. The tower served as a weapons depot and was equipped for the use of artillery. The Broelbrug originally dates back to 1385. It has been destroyed and rebuilt several times.The towers were built by the Burgundian dukes and are remnants of the old city fortifications.

Broel' refers to bruul, which means a generally marshy or fallow piece of land.

België - Kortrijk, Sint-Antoniuskerk

nobody@ipernity.com (Jaap van 't Veen) — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 07:07:58 +0000

Jaap van 't Veen has posted:

Kortrijk experienced significant population growth in the 19th-century, necessitating new parish churches. The Passionist Fathers were establishing a monastery, a school, and the Sint-Antoniuskerk (Saint Anthony Church) in 1873. The church - built in the Neo-Romanesque style- is a much visited place of pilgrimage. The Sint-Antoniuskerk is well known for its colourful murals.

Brother Isidore was a professed religious from the Passionists. He had fragile health when he arrived in the area in 1912; after a year as a cook, he was given the less demanding task of porter. He tried to help everyone who came to him during World War I, earning the nickname ‘Brother Good’. Beatified brother Isidore died in 1916; his tomb is located in a side chapel

België - Kortrijk, Lourdesgrot

nobody@ipernity.com (Jaap van 't Veen) — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 06:40:39 +0000

Jaap van 't Veen has posted:

The Lourdesgrot - next to the Sint Antoniuskerk - was consecrated in 1908, to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the first apparition of Mary in Lourdes. The grotto was built by the Passionist friars on a location with a small chapel. The site soon became an important and busy place for Marian devotion in Kortrijk.

The grotto is known for the many small ex-voto tiles on its walls. These tiles testify to answered prayers and gratitude.

België - Kortrijk, Sint-Elisabethbegijnhof

nobody@ipernity.com (Jaap van 't Veen) — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 06:51:50 +0000

Jaap van 't Veen has posted:

Sint-Elisabeth Begijnhof (Saint Elizabeth Beguinage) was founded in 1238 by Countess Joanna of Constantinople. The site largely retains its medieval structure with 41 pocket-sized, whitewashed, 17th century houses around a central green courtyard. The gothic St. Matthew’s Chapel dates back to 1464 and was rebuilt in baroque style in the 18th century.

A beguinage is a community of laywomen known as “beguines”. Beguines were devout women who lived a religious and contemplative life without taking formal vows, allowing them to maintain personal property and freedom.

The Begijnhof Kortrijk, along with other Flemish beguinages, is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The beguinage has an intimate atmosphere and is an oasis of calm in the middle of Kortrijk's city centre.

Trap naar uitzichttoren Middelkerke België

nobody@ipernity.com (Soeradjoen (limited time)) — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 10:36:29 +0000

Soeradjoen (limited time) has posted:

Brügges Türme

nobody@ipernity.com (Ernst Doro) — Sat, 08 Jan 2022 18:17:08 +0000

Ernst Doro has posted:

... aber bestimmt nicht alle!

Heilig-Blut-Basilika (Basiliek van het Heilig Bloed)

nobody@ipernity.com (Ur@nos) — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 22:43:48 +0000

Ur@nos has posted:

Brügge, Belgien

Antiquitäten

nobody@ipernity.com (Ur@nos) — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 22:43:53 +0000

Ur@nos has posted:

Brügge, Belgien

Waffeln

nobody@ipernity.com (Ur@nos) — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 22:43:56 +0000

Ur@nos has posted:

Brügge, Belgien

Fischmarkt

nobody@ipernity.com (Ur@nos) — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 22:43:54 +0000

Ur@nos has posted:

Brügge, Belgien

Kanaldeckel

nobody@ipernity.com (Ur@nos) — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 22:43:59 +0000

Ur@nos has posted:

Brügge, Belgien

Rathaus

nobody@ipernity.com (Ur@nos) — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 22:43:42 +0000

Ur@nos has posted:

Brügge, Belgien

België: Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Waver, Wintertuin

nobody@ipernity.com (Jaap van 't Veen) — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 09:14:16 +0000

Jaap van 't Veen has posted:

The Wintertuin van de Ursulinen (Winter Garden of the Ursulines) Garden is a real Art Nouveau gem. The garden is Belgium's largest Art Nouveau site open to the public.

The winter garden, with its colourful stained-glass dome dating from 1900 - whose architect remains unknown - is part of a monumental building complex where education, architecture, art and history come together.

The Winter Garden was part of the Ursulineninstituut, a former international boarding school for girls. This “Pensionnat de demoiselles” was a centre for girls' education. Thanks to its green location, well-maintained buildings and excellent educational provision, it became a boarding school of international renown. Around 1900, almost a quarter of the pupils came from abroad.

The Wintertuin has been a listed building since 1987 because of its historical, artistic, and architectural value.

België - Mechelen, Stadhuis

nobody@ipernity.com (Jaap van 't Veen) — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 09:00:19 +0000

Jaap van 't Veen has posted:

Mechelen town hall is located on the east side of the Grote Markt and consists of three parts.

- The Paleis van de Grote Raad (l + PiPs) (Palace of the Great Council) was built in 1526. However, the building was never completed and remained unfinished for almost 400 years. Between 1900 and 1911, it was finally completed according to the original 16th-century plans.

- The Belfry is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the other belfries in Belgium and France. It is a Gothic building from the 14th century and has various Baroque elements from the 17th century. The tower itself was never fully completed as planned. In addition, the north side was demolished to build the Palace of the Grand Council.

- The Lakenhal (r) (Cloth Hall) was built in the early 14th century and was used for trading in textile products. In 1342, a fire broke out, after which there was no money to complete the building.

België - Antwerpen, Sint-Carolus Borromeuskerk

nobody@ipernity.com (Jaap van 't Veen) — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 08:58:54 +0000

Jaap van 't Veen has posted:

In 1615, Jesuits from Antwerp began construction of their Baroque church. In 1621, the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk - as it was initially called - was completed. In 1773, the Jesuit order was abolished. A few decades later, the church became the parish church that it still is today and was given the name of its new patron saint: Sint-Carolus Borromeuskerk (St. Charles Borromeo Church).

This is the Rubens Church par excellence. As a painter, decorator and architect, Peter Paul Rubens had a hand in the tower, the façade, the high altar, the ceiling stucco work and the Lady Chapel.

Large sums of money were spent on decorating the interior. It was not for nothing that the church was called “the marble temple”. On 18 July 1718, lightning struck, destroying no fewer than 39 of Rubens' ceiling paintings in the flames. This was followed by a somewhat austere reconstruction of the column basilica. During the restoration in the 1980s, attempts were made to recreate the original interior from before 1718.

België - Antwerpen, Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal

nobody@ipernity.com (Jaap van 't Veen) — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 08:31:24 +0000

Jaap van 't Veen has posted:

The history of Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal (Cathedral of our Lady) began in the 9th century with a small chapel dedicated to Our Lady. In 1124, it was granted parish church status and replaced by a larger Romanesque church.

When that became too small, an ambitious project was launched in 1352: the construction of the largest Gothic church in the Netherlands with two identical, tall towers. After almost 170 years, the Cathedral of Our Lady was completed. The north tower was finished with a height of 123 metres. The south tower only reached halfway. After a fire in 1533, completion was never resumed. In 1559, the church was given the title of “Cathedral”.

The building was not spared from disaster. During the Iconoclastic Fury in 1566, the Protestants destroyed a large part of the interior. Years later, numerous art treasures were destroyed, removed or sold. When the French conquered the city in 1794, they plundered the church.

In 1816, the Cathedral of Our Lady was restored to its former glory with the return of important works of art, including three paintings by Rubens.

België - Antwerpen, Het Steen

nobody@ipernity.com (Jaap van 't Veen) — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 08:48:04 +0000

Jaap van 't Veen has posted:

Het Steen is the oldest preserved building in Antwerp. Its location has been essential to the development of the city. As early as the 9th century, the first settlement with earthen ramparts was established here. A castle, a stone wall and a gatehouse were built at the entrance, which later became Het Steen. Over the centuries, the function of the impressive building changed frequently: from gatehouse to prison, from sawmill to museum. After its latest renovation in 2021, the medieval fortress of Het Steen houses a tourist centre for the city of Antwerp.

In front of Het Steen stands the Lange Wapper: a statue of a legendary giant from Antwerp folklore, who comes to life at night and chases drunks wandering through the city (PiP 3).

Hauptbahnhof Antwerpen

nobody@ipernity.com (Kalli) — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 14:37:25 +0000

Kalli has posted:

Alle PiPs sind öffentlich!

België - Antwerpen, Rubenshuis

nobody@ipernity.com (Jaap van 't Veen) — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 08:55:53 +0000

Jaap van 't Veen has posted:

Peter Paul Rubens is one of Antwerp's most famous residents. He lived and worked here for much of his life. When he returned to Antwerp from Italy in 1608, he had a house on Vaartstraat (now Wapper) renovated two years later. He designed the Rubenshuis (Rubens House) and studio himself, modelled on the Renaissance palaces in Italy.

In 1937, the city of Antwerp purchased the property. Shortly after the Second World War, it was officially opened as a museum. The Baroque garden has been reconstructed as much as possible to its original state and contains more than 17,000 plants.

België - Antwerpen, Vlaeykensgang

nobody@ipernity.com (Jaap van 't Veen) — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 09:04:23 +0000

Jaap van 't Veen has posted:

The Vlaeykensgang is a picturesque courtyard dating back to 1591. In the past, the poorest inhabitants of the city lived here, together with the shoemakers. They were responsible for ringing the alarm bell of the nearby cathedral. In the 1960s, there were plans to demolish this medieval street, until antique dealer Axel Vervoordt bought the Vlaeykensgang and had it restored.