Discover Koekelare: History, Nature and Culture

Koekelare combines a gently rolling landscape with locally quite hilly terrain and an unusually diverse cultural history. Elevations range from the transition zone to the low-lying coastal polders at around 5 metres above sea level to approximately 45 metres in the southeast near Belhutte and Ruidenberg. Both form part of the western steep edge of the Wijnendale Plateau. For your travel planning, this means you can combine nature, exercise, literature, mill history and places of remembrance in a varied destination.

Landscape and trails around Koekelare

An important natural area is Koekelarebos. It provides a habitat for numerous plant and animal species that are declining elsewhere in Flanders. If nature experiences are important to you when choosing a holiday apartment, this alone is a good reason to explore Koekelare more closely. The Lange Max site complements this focus with its own walking trail; numerous cycling routes also cross the site. Depending on your mood, you can therefore combine your stay with a walk or cycle ride without losing sight of the area's cultural character.

Cultural monuments and distinctive townscapes

One of the most prominent historical landmarks is the fieldstone tower of the Parochiekerk Sint-Gertrudis. It is the only surviving remnant of this church and the oldest surviving building in Koekelare. The townscape itself also offers remarkable details: the entire area around the two brewery buildings with the brewery, as well as several houses on the western side of the market square, is protected as a village view. The Lange Max site is also home to a restored bakehouse protected as cultural heritage. The Lange-Maxdreef is protected as well because it dates from the modern Flemish development period and bears witness to the regular avenue pattern of systematic development.

Further discoveries include the Hovaeremolen, a stone grain and oil mill that has been protected as a monument since 1973. In the Poëziestraat on Noordomstraat, eight boulders covered with poems and one work of art are on display. The rocks bear the names Achterberg, Baudelaire, Du Fu, Gezelle, Lorca, Petrarca and Shakespeare. This combination of landscape, architectural history and literature gives a stay in Koekelare several different thematic perspectives.

Museums and experiences with a historical focus

At the Käthe Kollwitz Museum, you can learn about the German artist Käthe Kollwitz, her son Peter and her work. The Lange Max Museum focuses on the enormous gun that shelled Dunkirk, as well as the German occupation of Koekelare during the First World War. The Fransmansmuseum offers another perspective: it is dedicated to the thousands of men and women from Flanders who travelled to northern France for work until the 1960s, mainly in sugar beet cultivation.

For active days, Koekelare has the Budopad. The adventure course running through the arboretum is based on the principles of Japanese martial arts as well as balance, concentration, focus and physical movement. The “Het Lint” experience trail passes 11 locations connected with the First World War, from the German military cemetery in Vladslo to the Lange Max Museum. This allows families to choose between nature, exercise and historical themes without limiting their holiday to just one type of experience.

Which accommodation suits your travel plans?

When looking for a holiday apartment in Koekelare, it is worth deciding on your preferred travel focus in advance. Those who want to combine walks, cycling routes and the Koekelarebos habitat can make the natural attractions the centre of their plans. Those particularly interested in townscapes, mills, literature or the history of the First World War can plan their stay around the museums, Lange Max and the “Het Lint” trail. Accommodation in Koekelare therefore provides a suitable base for a trip whose daily programme can alternate between landscape, culture and active exploration.

Other local pages in this selection: Bovekerke, Oostrozebeke, Houthulst, Ichtegem, Avelgem, Doomkerke, Wingene and Poperinge.

For the overarching travel overview: West Flanders.