Discover Berlare: Water, Pilgrimage and Unusual History

Berlare combines the landscape of Donkmeer with unusual cultural and religious sites. Around the lake, in historic churches and at special memorial sites, a destination with many different discoveries emerges. If you are looking for a holiday apartment or holiday home in Berlare, you can choose your accommodation based on whether nature, water, history or a culturally unusual excursion should be the focus of your trip.

Donkmeer, Paths and Landscape

The walking route around Donkmeer provides a good option for active days. It is 5 km long and leads around the lake. The route can be included in your itinerary as a separate focus on nature and activity, without requiring you to combine it with other destinations. On an island in Donkmeer lies the Eendenkooi, a historic relic first mentioned in 1678.

The Eendenkooi was renovated in 2019 and transformed into an open-air museum. The site includes a picnic area, a willow tunnel and a birdwatching hide. Here, history and an engaging landscape design come together. Those travelling with children can combine a themed outing with a break in the countryside, while adults can also gain an unusual insight into the history of Donkmeer.

Nieuwdonk in Berlare near Overmere also places a clear emphasis on water and recreation. The site has a sandy beach and a sunbathing lawn. The Kasteeldomein complements this landscape with a large landscaped garden, woodland and bodies of water. Depending on your plans for the day, you can therefore choose between the lake, the open shoreline and surroundings shaped more strongly by gardens and woodland.

Churches, Pilgrimage and Local History

The Sint-Martinuskerk in Berlare stands on a medieval church site and preserves three phases of its architectural history. For travellers interested in churches and historical developments, it offers a direct way to engage with the history of the place.

On the first Sunday in May, believers from Berlare make a pilgrimage to the pilgrimage complex of Bareldonk. By the Donkkapel lies the pilgrimage site Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Zeven Weeën on Kapelleberg. Kapelleberg has been regarded as a place of worship dedicated to Our Lady since at least the 14th century. These religious sites give Berlare its own distinct tradition, clearly different from a stay focused solely on a lake. If you would like to centre your trip on religious history and traditional customs, these destinations are among the defining themes of the place.

A Museum with a Surprising Subject

One particularly distinctive facet of Berlare is showcased by the “Riekend Rustpunt” Museum. The permanent exhibition is dedicated to the trade in faeces and manure from the 17th century to the beginning of the 20th century. The subject is unusual, but it reveals how closely earlier economic and everyday life was connected with agriculture and fertilisation. Together with the Sint-Martinuskerk, the Eendenkooi and the pilgrimage sites, it creates a cultural picture that cannot be reduced to a single attraction.

Which Accommodation Suits Your Plans

When looking for accommodation in Berlare, it is worth first deciding on your preferred travel rhythm. If the trip is to be shaped mainly by the 5 km walking route and the landscapes around Donkmeer, nature and activity will take centre stage. For culture-focused days, you can include the church, the pilgrimage sites and the “Riekend Rustpunt” Museum in your selection. Families can choose between water, landscape, unusual history and religious traditions as different focal points, rather than planning the same type of excursion every day.

A holiday apartment in Berlare is therefore above all a base for exploring the area in many different ways: you decide whether your days will be devoted mainly to the lake, the landscape, local history or the distinctive cultural themes.

More Destinations for Planning Your Trip

If you would like to compare other places in addition to Berlare, you can find additional destination pages here: Sint-Gillis-Waas, Sint-Laureins, Zelzate, Buggenhout, Ghent, Oudenaarde, Zulte and Lokeren.

For the higher-level travel overview: East Flanders.