Bite & Pedal tour along laathoven

A Laathof can occur in several forms. Sometimes this term only refers to a building to which a ground court has usually been added. The most common type is the four-part late court with a central building, lands, cijnsgoederen and a land court. Over the centuries, late courts have gone and come. Many only exist in archives. A few have stood the test of time and can still be found in the streets. In this route we take you along 45 late courts, of which 17 still exist as a building. In Mesch, Sint Geertruid, Libeek, Herkenrade, Mheer, Noorbeek, De Peul, Terhorst, Margraten, 't Gasthuis, Cadier en Keer, Eckelrade, Gronsveld, Caestert and just across the border in Moelingen you can still find buildings that once served as a late court. Of course we will take you past these striking and sometimes majestic buildings.
The size of the exploited lands varies from one court to another. For example, from 5 hectares in Oost (the Oeslingerlaathof) to 190 hectares from the laathof of Zezenhoven at the Withuis. The average area of exploited land can be estimated at about 20 hectares per late court. Usually the lands were leased for a certain period of time; the so-called time lease. Time lease was entered into for a fixed amount. From the 16th century, a lease of 3, 6 or 9 years is common. The rent could be agreed in cash but also in whole or in part in kind. Each court owned a number of cijnsgoederen. The person liable for excise duty was obliged to pay a certain tax, a kind of tax, to the Court each year. The tax bill could be paid in kind, for example in capons or fruits, but usually also in money.
The jurisdiction of the land court was limited to transfer of plots that were purchased, disputes over leases, etc. Serious cases, such as debt seizure, were handled by the alderman's bench, which served as the main course. Gradually, the tasks of land transfers were taken over by the ship's banks. In 1572, in the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, it was stipulated that legally valid transfers of land for aldermen's banks had to take place.

The route is almost 70 kilometers long and also great to cycle for a less trained cyclist. Or, if you cycle the route in two parts, to cycle together with children. The route takes you past 17 still existing late courts and tells of more than 40 historic sites where there used to be a late court.