Past and present of the Kalmthoutse Heide and surroundings
Discover the cultural-historical and landscape-ecological values and assets of the Kalmthoutse Heide and environs in our brand-new landscape biography. Together with Bureau Strootman and Hesselteer, Grenspark Kalmthoutse Heide developed this inspiring document, which takes a close look at the past and present of the vast nature reserve.
The result is impressive! A 170-page book that takes you on a journey through the various layers of time that have marked and shaped the area.
The landscape biography describes the genesis of the landscape. It tells about the formation of the natural subsoil, but also how humans cultivated and shaped the landscape over the past few thousand years. The document helps everyone involved in the landscape professionally or out of interest; residents, but also farmers, nature managers, designers and policy makers, to understand and (better) use the landscape heritage.
Grenspark Kalmthoutse Heide uses this piece of work as a basis for further vision formation as a candidate National Park Flanders and to strive for the New Standard National Parks in the Netherlands. To this end, a Master Plan process is underway with various stakeholders, which in principle will result in a candidacy as National Park Flanders in May 2023.
Shera van den Wittenboer (Bureau Strootman) on the landscape biography
For Shera, landscape historian and author of the landscape biography, it is the influence of borders that makes the area so unique and interesting:
"The land border has been the scene of battles on several occasions and you can still see traces of that in the landscape. The border that was drawn during World War I with the Death Wire lives on mainly as intangible heritage, in memories. But the area also forms the border between the Kempen, a sandy landscape, and the Scheldt Valley, with fertile clay soils. As a result, you find a lot of different landscapes and natural areas right after each other, each with its own heritage values."
What surprised her most about the landscape?
Shera: "The water system of the Brabant Ridge and Kempen microcuesta is very complex. In some places, there is a loamy, clayey layer in the shallow subsoil that prevents rainwater from entering the soil properly. There it is wetter and you often find fens and at least more moisture-loving plants. In other places, this layer is missing and it is dry. As a result, there is a great variety of dry and wet areas, even on higher parts of the landscape. If you know a bit about what to look for and try to 'read' the landscape, you start to understand the water system better and better, but it continues to fascinate me."
Consult the landscape biography online
Are you curious about the contents of the book? From now on, you can consult the landscape biography digitally for free via this link.
Or get your copy at one of the points of sale
Do you prefer a physical copy? You can purchase the book at the sales outlets below for 15 euros. Only a limited edition has been printed, so be quick.
Arboretum Kalmthout
Heuvel 8,
2920 Kalmthout
Visit Kalmthout
Putsesteenweg 131,
2920 Kalmthout
Tourism Wuustwezel
Dorpsstraat 36,
2990 Wuustwezel
Essen tourist office
The Tasberg
Moerkantsebaan 50,
2910 Essen
VVV Brabantse Wal Tourist Office
Steenbergsestraat 6,
4611 Bergen op Zoom
The landscape biography was commissioned by Grenspark Kalmthoutse Heide thanks to financial support from the Dutch national government (temporary subsidy scheme for National Parks) and the Flemish government as part of the candidacy for recognition as a National Park Flanders.