Velzeke

Walk along junctions through Velzeke. Start in the center of Velzeke below the Penitentenlaan, via the Jan de Lichtepad to the Vollander (fallen tree due to a storm) and further towards the Herenput (fishing pond). Next, head back into the Jan de Lichte area again on the Jan de Lichtepad and along the waiting retention basin Bettelhovebeek to cross through the back of the Sint-Martinuskerk to the Paddestraat (known from the Tour of Flanders) along the PAM (Provincial Archaeological Museum) back to the starting point.

Junctions: 91-90-85-84-83-82-89-88-92

Velzeke

Velzeke is a village in the Belgian province of East Flanders. Together with Ruddershove, it forms Velzeke-Ruddershove, a sub-municipality of Zottegem. Velzeke was an independent municipality until the early 19th century. The village lies in the Flemish Ardennes and is one of the 50 most beautiful villages in Flanders. The village center is located in the southern part of the territory. In the rural northern area, there are several mainly ribbon-shaped hamlets and various large farms.

Excavations indicate ancient habitation in the region. Traces of burial grounds from the Hallstatt period have been found. Later, a Roman military camp was built here under Emperor Augustus, which evolved into a vicus during the Gallo-Roman period (first and second century AD) at the crossroads of the military road Boulogne-Cologne and the military road Velzeke-Bavay. Several traces from that (Gallo-)Roman period have been found. A burial ground from the Merovingian period has also been discovered.

In the Middle Ages, the place was dependent on the Land of Zottegem. An old mention of the place dates back to 1015 as Felsecum. The church was donated in 963 to the abbey of Saint-Vanne near Verdun and in 1065 to the abbey of Hasnon. In 1249, for the Velzeekse hamlet Bochoute (on the border with Dikkele, Dikkelvenne, and Scheldewindeke), the Bochoute Schepen letter was written, the oldest official document written entirely in Dutch. In 1344, the Grey Sisters-Penitents established a house of God here, later a hospital (the current Grey Sisters Monastery). In the 16th century, it was destroyed by the Geuzen but was re-established, and an education section was also set up.

The Ferraris map from the 1770s shows the village of Velsique, just south of the main road from Oudenaarde to Aalst (current N46). The Driesmolen on the Molenbeek is also indicated. North of the village center, the hamlets Leeghwormen, Hooghwormen, Puttestraete, and Steenbeke are also marked. At the end of the ancien régime, the municipalities were created, and Velzeke became an independent municipality. In 1825, the municipality was merged with the small neighboring municipality Ruddershove to form Velzeke-Ruddershove, which was joined to Zottegem in 1971.

Jan de Lichte (gang leader)

Jan de Lichte (Velzeke, baptized April 7, 1723 - Aalst, November 14, 1748) was a Flemish criminal and gang leader. Driven by poverty and hardship in the context of the Austrian Succession War, he, along with companions, resorted to theft, robberies, and eventually murder. After a manhunt, he was arrested by the French occupying force and executed by breaking wheel. The gang's actions and their end became the inspiration for legends and folk tales. In Zottegem (sub-municipalities Strijpen and Velzeke-Ruddershove), the signposted 'Jan de Lichtepad' [10][13] has been running since 1988 along the Molenbeek valley and the Driesmolen. Near the Driesmolen stood the parental hut where Jan De Lichte is said to have been born.

Bettelhovebeek and waiting retention basin

The Bettelhovebeek (sometimes also called Deinsbeek) is a brook in the Belgian city of Zottegem. The brook springs in the Bijloke neighborhood near Grotenberge and flows further along Villa Cantaert, between the Egmontpark and the Beislovenpark, past the Egmont Castle and the Leirenshof to the nature reserve Wachtspaarbekken Bettelhovebeek in Strijpen. There, the brook merges with the Molenbeek which flows past Velzeke-Ruddershove into the Zwalm. In the Bettelhovebeek, ten-spined sticklebacks, palmate newts, other species of newts, and brown frogs have been observed. In the valley, the blue heron and the kingfisher also live, among others. The Jan de Lichtepad partially follows the course of the Bettelhovebeek.

In the valley of the Bettelhovebeek lies a waiting retention basin. The controlled flood area is a nature reserve of 1 ha in size and is located on the territory of the sub-municipalities Strijpen and Velzeke. The waiting retention basin adjoins the area "Jan De Lichte" (5 ha) of the Natuurpunt reserve Middenloop Zwalm. It is part of the Flemish Ecological Network. After the canalization of the Bettelhovebeek, the retention basin was created in 1982 to prevent flooding at the confluence. Due to sediment accumulated, a swamp was formed in the retention basin. In the wetland area, the little reed warbler, the wild duck, and the moorhen live. Various species of dragonflies are also present: large emperor dragonfly, river dragonflies, four-spotted chaser, and marsh dragonflies. The swamp area consists of a herbs zone, bulrush zone, and willow storage. Management preserves these zones (removal of willow storage every five years). The retention basin itself is occupied by typical swamp vegetation with large bulrush and reeds, interspersed with dense clumps of, among others, sedges, flat sedge, red sedge, rushes, yellow flag, and great bulrush. The less moist areas are occupied by ruderal herbs such as hairy willowherb, true cuckoo flower, marsh silverweed, creeping willow, and water mint. On the dry slopes, the moisture-loving marsh plants are absent and are replaced by common tansy, oxeye daisy, cow parsley, angelica, giant hogweed, common cheese rennet, ground ivy, and stork's bill.

The urban nature reserve "Wachtspaarbekken Bettelhovebeek" is freely accessible on the paths. A nature learning path with information boards winds around the marsh zone. The signposted "Jan de Lichtepad" and the hiking junction network "Vlaamse Ardennen Zwalmvallei" also lead to the reserve.

Paddestraat

The Paddestraat is a street in the Flemish Ardennes in Velzeke, a village in the Belgian municipality of Zottegem. The cobblestone road starts at the Roman Square in Velzeke and runs west until it reaches the Zwalm river at the border with Roborst (Zwalm), where the name changes to Borstekouterstraat. The road is part of the Via Belgica (Roman road Boulogne-sur-Mer - Velzeke - Cologne) and is also on the tourist route Roman road Bavay-Velzeke. The Paddestraat was protected as a monument in 1995. Along the street are the protected Schaliënhof and the Hof de Moriaan, which is protected along with its surroundings. The Paddestraat also houses the Provincial Archaeocenter Velzeke and the remains of the Van Themsches mill. The name Paddestraat is derived from the fact that the common toad, an amphibian, crosses the road in large numbers in the spring during rainy weather on its way to its breeding waters at the Molenbeek.

In cycling, the Paddestraat has been included multiple times in the routes of the Flemish spring classics. In 1973, the Tour of Flanders passed through this cobblestone road for the first time. Along the Paddestraat, a monument has been erected listing the names of the winners of each edition of the Tour of Flanders that passed over the street. The length of the cobblestone stretch is approximately 2,400 meters. The Paddestraat is also sometimes included in other cycling competitions, such as Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, E3 Harelbeke, and (until 2017) the Three Days of De Panne-Koksijde.