Purgatory Forest

Until the 17th century, there was a lot of heathland in this area. It was popularly referred to as 'field'. In fact, it was land that was less suitable for agriculture. The Bulskampveld was the largest such heathland south of Bruges.

At the end of the 18th century, the barren heathland was planted with coniferous wood. In this way, something profitable could finally be done with the worthless land. The surrounding and slightly more fertile forest belt was used as agricultural land. The regular pattern with which the agricultural plots were cultivated can still be clearly seen in the current avenues in the landscape. The result was a reversal of the landscape: the open heathland was transformed into upright forest and the surrounding forest area turned into agricultural land.

At the end of the 20th century, the Flemish government acquired the Purgatory Forest in several stages; the most important purchase took place in 1998, when 140 hectares were purchased from the van der Bruggen family.

Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos