Bulskampveld

In the 17th century, the Bulskampveld was called 'the largest heath between Ghent and Bruges.' 'Field' here means 'barren or wild land, heath, and wilderness.' In 1650, it spanned about 10,000 hectares, of which more than 7,000 hectares were pure field or heath. A fertile strip of land along the Waardammebeek split the field into an eastern and a western part. Numerous ponds and marshes were scattered throughout. One of the ponds, the Kranepoel (protected in 1957), still exists there, in Aalter. Before 1770, Lambertus Malfait purchased a significant amount of worthless land and settled where the castle now stands. He began clearing the land and planted trees as soon as possible. After his death, the domain changed hands several times, including to Count de Meeus. He had the castle renovated to the condition it is in now. At that time, the domain was 415 hectares large (now still 226 hectares) and mostly forested. In 1904, it was sold to the Lippens family, and in 1970, the provincial government of West Flanders purchased the domain. The basement of the neo-Gothic castle is being converted into a nature and environmental education center, and the ground floor will host a regional visitor center about the history of Houtland. Behind the castle lies the Herb Garden (an interesting guide to the herb garden is available for purchase at the visitor center), alongside an Agricultural Museum, a beautiful collection of farming tools and wagons displayed in the galleries around the garden.

Sentiers de Grande Randonnee