The Wik

The Wik has been a protected nature reserve in the east of the Provincial Domain Bokrijk in the Belgian province of Limburg since 1947. It has an area of 110 hectares with nineteen ponds and is managed by Natuurpunt.The Wik can only be visited under the guidance of a guide. In 1252, count Arnold IV of Loon sold this area to the Cistercian nuns of Herkenrode Abbey. Until then it had been owned by noble families. They had part of the forest cut down and built ponds for fish farming for the cultivation of grass carp. Other ponds were created by iron ore mining in the 19th century.

Wikipedia