Dries of Sinaai

Sinaai is the prototype of a central village that has developed centrifugally from the village square with church and alderman's house. The village bowl is defined by a rectangular structure of the cemetery and the dries, which was already laid out in 1219. Due to the bondage of dries and cemetery, they form a whole both historically and aesthetically. Road pattern from the Ferraris map was preserved. Rows of trees along roads (Ferraris) often disappeared. The current planting, except for the freedom tree, dates from the 1950s. Before planting with plantans, the dries was surrounded by elms (elms). These trees were removed at the end of WWI to serve as firewood for the population. At that time, olms were replanted, but with little success, because of the olmen disease. The dries used to be 'vacant' land, which was often used for grazing, mainly with sheep. The dries were also used for village meetings and events. There used to be a kiosk and standing seesaw on the square. This dries has an 18th century bluestone pump, a church and systematic construction of 19th century buildings in neo-Gothic style. The same architecture can be found in the monastery building, the town hall and the adjacent buildings, the old weaving school and the Edgar Tinel museum. They give the village square a unique character. This architecturally very successful whole is brightened up on the dries itself by the plantings and the impressive freedom tree.

Onroerend Erfgoed Vlaanderen