A circular walk in Old Molenbeek

Around 1800, Sint-Jans-Molenbeek was a farming village outside the Brussels walls with 1,600 inhabitants. By 1900, the population had already grown to 60,000 and today around 100,000 people live there. The construction of the Brussels-Charleroi canal in 1832 transformed Molenbeek from a rural municipality into Belgium's first industrial center, known as the "Little Belgian Manchester." Today, Old Molenbeek is primarily inhabited by Belgians of Moroccan origin.

This walk takes you from the Graaf van Vlaanderen metro station directly to the remarkable Gemeenteplein of Sint-Jans-Molenbeek. The Pradostraatje and the Gentse Steenweg form a bustling, colorful shopping axis that sometimes reminds you of an Arab bazaar. We visit industrial-archaeological gems like La Fonderie (now a cozy park with a bistro and an industrial museum), Recyclart Fabrik in Manchesterstraat, and Lion's City (the former Delhaize warehouses transformed into a community project). Further along, we walk through the beautiful garden neighborhoods of Klimop and Gulden Bodem. Through the Zwarte Vijverwijk and the remarkable art-deco church of Sint-Jan-de-Doperkerk, we reach the old center again.

Info:

* Wikipedia Sint-Jans-Molenbeek
* Short history of Sint-Jans-Molenbeek