Discover Poeke: Castle Park, History and Walking Routes

Poeke combines an extensive, wooded park with distinctive traces of local history and various opportunities to explore the surrounding area on foot. Poeke Castle Park covers 56 hectares. Anyone wishing to combine nature, historic buildings and peaceful discoveries during their holiday will find several themes here to incorporate into their travel planning. A visit can also be made varied for families with children: the Kasteeldomän of Poeke has a play forest, while the nature walk and audio walk offer other ways to explore.

Castle Park and Moated Castle

A defining landmark is the Kasteel van Poeke, a moated castle in the neoclassical style. Its history reaches back considerably further than its present-day appearance. The original castle of the Kasteel van Poeke was largely destroyed in 1453 during the revolt of the people of Ghent against Philip the Good and remained a ruin until the beginning of the 17th century. This historical turning point also makes the site interesting for travellers who want to do more than look at a building and instead understand the development of a historic setting.

Other independent buildings and historic points of reference include the Artemeersmolen and the Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Lourdes Chapel. The Artemeersmolen is a round stone grain windmill, probably built by Karel Wibo in 1810. The present-day Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Lourdes Chapel was built in 1874 near an earlier chapel that had disappeared. It is made of red brick with bands of white brick and was designed in the Romanesque Revival style. In 1872, the detached manor house Het Klein Kasteeltje was also built in Poeke; it is also known as Kasteel de Reigerbeek.

Nature Experiences and Trails

In the Kasteeldomän of Poeke, a free guided nature walk takes place on the first Sunday of every month from the first Sunday in April through and including November. Registration is not required. This regular offering may play a role in travel planning if you would like to combine your stay with a specific nature-related event. Those travelling with children can consider the play forest as a possible activity of its own without structuring the entire day around a single activity.

The VRT PodWalks experience at the Kasteel van Poeke offers another way to discover the area. You can walk at your own pace while having Arnout Hauben as your personal audio guide in your ear. The Poekekasteel walking route starts at Sint-Lambertuskerk on the village square in Poeke. This provides both a guided nature walk at a specific time and a route that can be explored at an individual pace.

Historical Orientation for Your Planning

The historic location of the Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Lourdes Chapel was connected to Kasteelstraat, Middendreef, the avenue along the castle park and the village square. For your own daily planning, it is therefore worthwhile deciding in advance what you would like to focus on: should your stay be shaped primarily by the wooded castle park and nature activities, or should the moated castle, mill, chapel and manor house be the main attractions? The different themes can help you choose a suitable holiday apartment in Poeke based on your personal travel plans, without presupposing any particular accommodation or facilities.

Poeke is therefore a suitable destination for travellers who do not want to view historic names, specific architectural forms and the landscape separately from one another.

For the overarching travel overview: Aalter.