Mol Hinterwald

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Update: 07-09-2022

Beautiful varied hike in Mol Achterbos.
Achterbos is one of the twelve hamlets of the Belgian municipality of Mol. As of December 31, 2010, Achterbos had 3,851 inhabitants. Thus, Achterbos is the second most populated hamlet of Mol, after Mol-Center.

The hamlet is located in a wooded area, which, like its inhabitants, has often been immortalized in the etchings and paintings of Jakob Smits (1855-1928) and his student Dirk Baksteen (1886-1971). Both artists are buried in the cemetery of Mol-Achterbos.

Achterbos traditionally had a chapel dedicated to Saint Apollonia. In 1678, there were reports of pilgrims coming to Achterbos to be healed of toothaches. In 1862, the chapel was demolished and replaced by a church. In 1876, this church and a large number of farms were destroyed by a fire. In 1889, Achterbos became an independent parish, separating from Mol-Center. The current brick church of St. Apollonia, whose tower has a gabled roof, was built in 1932.