Period 10 - Today's landscape

After WWII, the landscape changes again. The original living hedges make way for barbed wire. We get an open landscape. Military installations (landmark 18) (radar tower and white ball), a water reservoir, and a motocross track (landmark 19) appear on the Kesterheide. A new business area is planned in the center of Leerbeek. (landmark 20)

Today, Gooik mainly consists of agricultural land. Forests or nature areas are only sporadically found. Along some parcel borders, small landscape elements persist: hedges, overgrown ditches, embankments, bushes, and solitary trees. They illustrate the typical historical intertwining of the Gooik nature with the agricultural landscape.

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1945 to 2010

After WWII, the migration from the city to the countryside increases. Ribbon development expands significantly, and subdivisions are created. On the Kesterheide, military installations and a motocross track appear after WWII.

Today, the municipality of Gooik consists mainly of agricultural land (90%). Forest or nature areas are sporadically present (2%). The agricultural area includes meadows and grasslands (40%) and crops of predominantly corn (30%), grains (20%), and potatoes (5%). This mixed agriculture is typical, where livestock farming often determines the choice of crops. Today, the municipality of Gooik still has various residents who engage in agricultural activities, either full-time or part-time. Farmers' income remains under pressure, and productivity is being continually driven up.

Barbed wire is ubiquitous after WWII; the living hedges have almost completely disappeared. An open landscape is created. Orchards occur sporadically. The landscape is "gardened" with gardens, barns, and shelters appearing. The typical Gooik landscape still contains many small landscape elements. It can be described as a rolling and dissected clay plateau, open on the slopes, and semi-closed in the valleys due to poplar planting.

RL P&Z