Hiking triple White Kei Land by Mark & Merkske

Hiking triple white boulder / Land of Mark & Merkske http://www.toerismemerksplas.be/download/folder-witte-kei-landmarkmerkske.pdf

Landmarks Wortel-Kolonie was founded in 1822 as a free agricultural colony. Poor families were employed here. However, the project was not successful and was abandoned after Belgian independence. From 1881 the Rijksweldadigheidskolonie started up and Wortel-Kolonie became a home for vagrants and beggars. After the abolition of the vagrancy law in 1993, the central buildings were, to this day, converted into prisons. The domain is protected as a cultural-historical heritage. At the moment, Wortel en Merkplas-Kolonie is also a candidate to be added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage in 2018. The Witte Kei is a boundary stone between the municipalities of Hoogstraten (Wortel), Merksplas and Baarle-Hertog. In 1251, the municipal boundary of Merksplas was established at the request of the Duke of Brabant. This happened after a border dispute with residents of Weelde.