St. Peter's Band Church

There is a beautiful geographical story linked to the tale that the bells of the Saint-Petersbanden church ring every day for 3 minutes, dating back to a time when there was no GPS and navigating through the marshes near rivers and meadows, such as those along the Demer, Velp, and Gete around Halen, was very dangerous.

The story goes that Brewer Martens had gone to deliver beer and took the shortcut through the Halens Broek to return home. However, he lost his way due to the fog. By chance, he heard the bell of the church in Halen. This allowed him to orient himself and find his way back home. Such a marsh was certainly not without dangers. You could quickly get stuck in quicksand and not be able to get out. Brewer Martens realized this as well. He made a donation to the church in gratitude and also asked for the bell to be rung for 3 minutes every day. And that would be the origin of why the church bell in Halen still rings for 3 minutes every day.

Dromos