1st stop: 't Pachtgoedhof in Kruibeke

The Pachtgoedhof is somewhat hidden in a street with a piece of cobblestones at the end and there our starter awaits.

A brief history of 't Pachtgoedhof. In 1481, a donation from the Lessiers sisters, 2 well-to-do Antwerp ladies, brought the tenant farm, as the Olivetenhof is popularly called, into the possession of the Civil Almshouses of Mechelen. The farm consisted of a walled, fortified homestead, located on the Cedron stream with a pond from which water was drawn for the brewery. After all, many farmers brewed their own spirits a few hundred years ago, and the tenants of the Olivetenhof were no exception. The brewery has been around for several centuries now.

In total, the farm with courtyard, stables and land was ± 30 hectares in size. That used to be far too big for one family. Hence, large areas of land were leased. Every Boxing Day these tenants came to pay at the court from 3 o'clock in the afternoon. At times there were even more than 20 tenants and they organized a real farmer's fair with a card game on the court. The farmer-gentleman farmer ordered sandwiches with "heads", talk about traditions. (the website of 't Pachthof was used as a source)

Dirk Vervaet