The Kempense Heuvelrug

The unusual landscape of the Kempense Heuvelrug in Kasterlee has held a magnetic attraction for visitors for a long time. The cultural historical, ecological and visual values of the area are great, but have not yet been properly mapped. Those landscape values have considerable potential for the further development in the field of recreation and tourism, as well as enlarging the basis of support for nature, landscape and regional identity. At the same time, in some places the current recreational use has reached the limits of what the area can sustain.

Besides bringing the landscape values and a coherent vision of their further development into focus, there is thus a need for a vision of how those qualities relate to tourist and recreational use. The ambition of the Kasterlee Local Authority, the Provincial Authority of Antwerp, the Regional Landscape of the Kleine and Grote Nete Rivers, and the Tourism Department of the Provincial Authority of Antwerp is to increase its attractiveness for tourist and recreational use, based on a richer sustainable landscape.

Commissioned by the Provincial Authority of Antwerp and in conjunction with the Flemish Agency for Immovable Heritage Onroerend Erfgoed and Bailleul Ontwerpbureau, Strootman Landschaparchitecten has drawn up a design plan on the basis of a biography of the landscape. It focuses on two major tasks: to make the woodland more special, and to improve the recreational zoning and access.

The aim of this plan is to bring out the special qualities of the landscape. We enhance the experience of differences that are already present as a result of the historical development and composition of the subsoil, such as old complexes of fields and parabolic dunes. The deliberate attempt to achieve a wood rich in structure enhances ecological values and renders differences in the subsoil legible. A new layer is added in the form of open clearings in the wood and a new route with views over the brook valley that reinforce the drama of the landscape in the wider context and enhance the enjoyment of the woodland. When people walk through the wood in the future, they will literally feel the ground beneath their feet; it will be like walking through different chambers in the wood, with now and then a window affording a wonderful view of the outside world.

This all forms the décor and inspiration for numerous recreational possibilities, from events to inspiration for games and stories narrated by guides.