Brasserie Gempemolen

History

In the 13th century (1229) the Duke of Brabant, Henry I, donated a piece of land with a watermill to a monastic community of Norbertinessen. In the Middle Ages, it was common for important persons to make donations to religious people with the intention of guaranteeing their souls. The nuns also received the rights to the large Gempevijver, which supplied water to power the mill during dry summers, if the Molenbeek did not provide enough power. Remains of the later monastery of the Norbertines can still be seen in the vicinity of the castle of Steenbergen. With the abolition of the monastery by the French Revolution, the mill came into private hands. The Gempemolen, a water mill, was used to grind grain. The current mill house is built of baking and natural stone and dates from the 18th century (1759). The Gempemolen has undergone many changes over the centuries but has been excellently preserved. The mill remained in operation until after the Second World War and has been classified as a monument since 1944. Over the next few decades, however, the mill fell into disrepair.
Around 1990, the mill and mill house were thoroughly restored by the Haacht Brewery. The mill house was transformed into a brasserie and the mill was milled. Every first Sunday of the month there is ground in the afternoon!

Philosophy

To crown the Hageland atmosphere, Hans wants to spoil his visitors with Hageland beer and regional dishes in brasserie De Gempemolen. Just like the history of Gempe, it is sometimes a time-consuming quest to get authentic dishes and / or recipes. The intention of our card is to cooperate as much as possible with local producers, whereby we diligently look for the purity and honesty of their product. Passion must exist between producer and consumer, and who better to be the intermediary than the restaurateur? Flemish Brabant has a wide variety of regional products. In addition to the wealth of fresh products such as strawberries, grapes, chicory and asparagus... one can also find numerous unique processed products. Just think of the Lambic and Gueuze beers from the Pajottenland and the Senne valley or the Hageland wine. Usually these are sympathetic small-scale initiatives, often yet to be discovered, but with a lot of potential. These regional products have become the culinary ambassadors of our region, but without motivated restaurateurs it becomes difficult to put these products in the spotlight...

Walking and cycling point

The Gempemolen is a resting point for hikers and cyclists who either choose the 'Grote Routepad' hiking trail or just want to walk or cycle between to the castle of Horst or along the Jan-Primus route. The signposted cycle route "de Gemperoute" has the Gempemolen as a starting point.

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