Saint Ursula Institute - Winter Garden

One of the highlights is the Sint-Ursula Institute, a secondary school. “When the pastor of Tildonk asked the Ursulines to come to Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Waver, eight sisters were sent to the village. They established a convent and a school here,” our guide tells us. “Education for girls was not a given at that time, and the sisters brought about change. Soon after, they opened a boarding school and expanded the buildings with additional classrooms, dormitories, and a new chapel. Girls came from Turkey to Brazil to study here. The school had international fame.

The eye-catcher is the beautiful Winter Garden in Art Nouveau style where the girls' boarding house and the piano room were located. During WWI, the buildings were destroyed and were rebuilt and expanded starting in the 1920s. In 2022, the Winter Garden closed its doors for a restoration of the tiled floor.” Despite calls to demolish this gem, this architectural treasure was protected as a monument. The non-profit organization Winter Garden and the Kempens Landschap Foundation open the Winter Garden to the public.

Sandra