Picturesque landscape

Today, Grenspark Kalmthoutse Heide mainly inspires photographers. In the second half of the 19th century, landscape painters were the first to capture the poetic power of the area.

Under the name 'Kalmthoutse School' are known the landscape painters who in the second half of the 19th century 'captured' the beauty of Grenspark Kalmthoutse Heide with paint. Another name is 'grey school', because of the soft shades and hues they used to paint the landscape. How did these painters find their way to this area?

Dreamy images with activist outcome

In 1854, the rail link from Antwerp was built, making the nature reserve more easily accessible to many. It offered artists such as Adriaan Joseph Heymans, François Lamorinière and Frans Van Leemputten the chance to travel to the area. And they did, attracted by the free, untouched nature. They saw a landscape that was transforming at the time, due to human intervention. Plot was often barrack 'Kambuus': an accommodation they shared with the sand miners who scraped the distinctive sandy landscape for infrastructure projects in the city. The dreamy images of these painters contributed to a growing awareness of the value of the landscape. The Kalmthout School was thus at the cradle of the emergence of the first protests against the degradation of this landscape.

From then to now
Even today, the landscape continues to move artists. Watch the video from our series Verhalen van Heide en verre here and discover how the landscape painters of Vriendenkring 't Palet are inspired by the nature in Grenspark Kalmthoutse Heide.