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Te Travel Guide Worldwide Travel


Promotional Content • Saturday 21st March 2026


Kempens Landschap Foundation: the benchmark for country estates in Flanders


Whoever leaves the great cities of art behind to explore the province of Antwerp in Flanders enters a different landscape


Visitors get discover a network of parks and historic country estates — calm, green and surprisingly lay- ered. Many of these outdoor spaces owe their revival to the Kempens Landschap Foundation, a heritage organisation active in the province of Antwerp that’s considered the bench- mark for the preservation, manage- ment and development of country es- tates today. It’s well worth exploring and visiting.


AN INNOVATIVE, INTEGRATED APPROACH TO HERITAGE CONSERVATION What strikes you as soon as you leave the city behind is the number of coun- try estates in the province of Antwerp. Tese aren’t monuments in decline, but inspiring outdoor spaces that in- vite you to slow down and enjoy a dif- ferent experience. Close attention has been paid not only to the monumental buildings, but also to the surround- ing landscape and to visitors. It’s with this in mind that these sites have been opened up. Tey’re destinations in their own right, offering the chance for an escape from the bustle of the city. Tis vision is no coincidence. For


almost 30 years, the province of Ant- werp has been committed to an in- novative, integrated approach to her- itage conservation by the Kempens Landschap Foundation. Te organisa- tion was founded at the time to save the Wortel and Merksplas ‘Colonies of Benevolence’ from fragmentation and keep them in the hands of the com- munity. Today, these sites are part of a Unesco World Heritage Site. At the Kempens Landschap Foun-


dation, restoration work is never limited to simply repairing stones. Each project starts from a broad perspective in which nature, herit- age and public engagement stand on an equal footing, often with special attention paid to sustainability and full accessibility. Tis also translates into innovative


solutions. For example, the Founda- tion works with high-performance, monument-friendly techniques such


Tese estates are places worth cherishing and discovering that leave a lasting impression. Tat’s the power of these sites: they offer calm, depth and stories


as spacesuit insulation and/or aquathermal energy. Tanks to this approach, the Kempens Landschap Foundation can transform estates into almost energy-neutral mon- uments without them losing their heritage value.


PLACES WORTH CHERISHING Tese estates are more than just tech- nical feats. Tey’re places worth cher- ishing and discovering that leave a lasting impression. Tat’s the power of these sites: they offer calm, depth and stories. Tanks to the Kempens Landschap


Foundation, fragmented estates once more form holistic estates adapted to present-day needs. Tat makes these places special to visit. Not busy at- tractions, but estates where there’s room to discover. A visit to Hof Ter Laken in Heist-


op-den-Berg, for instance, leads to a historic vegetable garden, while a walk along Hof ter Linden in Edegem — barely three miles from Antwerp’s Grote Markt — unexpectedly passes an idyllic castle pond. Cross the Channel, leave the bustle


of the city behind you and discover a different Antwerp. One that won’t overwhelm you, but will quietly draw you into its story.


kempenslandschap.be/en


WESTMALLE CASTLE, MALLE


Kempens Landschap Foundation This heritage organisation was founded in 1997 and today manages over 3,700 acres of historically valuable landscape heritage and more than 60 monuments. The organisation’s aim is to preserve the cultural and natural heritage of the province of Antwerp and to ensure public accessibility. In 2014 the Kempens Landschap Foundation won the Europa Nostra Grand Prix Award for Cultural Heritage. The jury had rarely seen such an effective example of the European vision being implemented since the introduction of the European Landscape Convention.


HOF TER LINDEN, EDEGEM


HOF TER LAKEN, HEIST-OP-DEN-BERG


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