The lease farm Het Biesthof

A biest is a village square. Originally, it was the place where bulrushes grow. A biestpoel is a communal drinking pond for livestock. The Biesthof is located at the corner of Bankstraat and Steenhofstraat. In 1474, there were two houses here. In 1647, the residential house was built by Jan Creytsaerts. The stone above the entrance door indicates this year. His son, also named Jan Creytsaerts, sold the Biesthof in 1679 to the 1st Prince de Rubempré. At the end of the 17th century, beginning of the 18th century, the Biesthof was expanded with the adjacent horse stable and with a cow shed, which formed an L shape with the residential house. This farm was also associated with a brewery. In 1723, there was also a kamme or brewery. At the end of the 18th century, a new barn was built parallel to the residential house. The Counts de Merode rented out the farm. In 1857, the band De Vrede was founded. It is now called De Eendracht. The Counts later Princes de Merode were honorary president of this band, which held its rehearsals in the Biesthof. The tenant of the Biesthof, Daniël Vander Haeghen, ‘Den Ouden Boer’ was also the 1st president of the band. In 1880, the free Catholic school was established in the horse stable. In 1909, it was a farm with just over 50 ha of land. The Biesthof was sold by the Princes de Merode in 1984. The 17th-century house was preserved. The horse stable along Bankstraat and the vehicle storage with the entrance gate along Steenhofstraat were demolished. New buildings were erected. The Biesthof acquired a semi-enclosed character with an entrance gate towards Lodderhoekstraat.

On the other side of the Biesthof, we find the Frisian dairy with the large summer oak.
Bibliography:

F. MAES. Old houses in Everberg - Eigen Schoon and De Brabander, 1953.

H. VANNOPPEN. The history of Everberg. Preslekkers and princes. Published by the municipal council of Everberg, 1973, p. 36, p. 45.

H. VANNOPPEN. One hundred buildings of Kortenberg. A walk through ten centuries of history. Book and Form. Winksele, 1999, p. 119.

Two theses were made about the Biesthof by agricultural engineers:

V. VAN ROEY. Monograph of the Biesthof farm in Everberg KUL, 1909, 30 p.

L. DE COSTER. The Biesthof (Everberg). Research on the possibilities for agricultural function renovation. Final project KUL, 1983, 236 p.

Gemeente Kortenberg