Easy hikes and walks in Kasteeldomein Van Impde En Omgeving

Here Belgian soldiers unexpectedly came under German fire. A platoon of Germans came out of the Paardeweidebos and another platoon made an encircling movement towards the southwest of the park of the Goethals castle. On the Belgian side, the death toll rose to fifteen and the wounded and the survivors attempted to escape via the culvert under the provincial road to return to the village via the stream on the other side. Others sought cover behind the small wall of the bridge, among them sergeant Paul Dutrieux: "… arriving at a small bridge I came out of the ditch… the Germans were now coming straight across the meadow towards us… I immediately dropped to my knees at the corner of the bridge… I had fired at most eight or ten shots, when a bullet flew past my stomach, the butt of my rifle broke and my right forearm was shattered… then the lieutenant (Ghesquière) took a bullet through the head… two soldiers dragged him away and two others supported me to get away… " (Information board on site)

Monument in memory of the soldiers of the 3rd Regiment Jagers te Voet of the Belgian army who fell here on August 24, 1914. (TracesOfWar)

The castle of Imde in the Flemish village of Imde (in the municipality of Meise) is a 19th-century neoclassical castle. The associated closed castle farm dates from the 17th and 18th centuries but has more recent outbuildings. The whole is situated in the middle of an extensive estate with parks, meadows, and ponds. The Molenbeek flows through the castle estate. Initially, this castle was owned by the lords of Leefdael. During the 17th century, it was owned by the Verreyken family, until it was sold by the princes of Thurn and Taxis. The original castle was demolished in 1828 and replaced in 1855 by the current neoclassical castle. A severe fire raged on February 15, 2016. (Wikipedia)

Imde is a quiet rural village with Saint Quintinus as its patron saint. In 1145 it was mentioned as Immechia. On the Ferraris map from the 1770s, the place is shown as Ympden. At the end of the 20th century, the municipality of Meise switched from the spelling "Impde" to the new spelling "Imde". Sights include the Castle of Imde and the Boskapel Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Behoudenis der Kranken, among others.

The church with the altar dedicated to St. Quintinus was dependent on the parish of Meuzegem before 1145 and remained so until 1803. According to choirmaster Raes, the wooden structure of the 12th-century place of worship was demolished in 1440 and a new wooden church was erected. In 1550, this wooden building was again demolished and "Ympden" received a full-fledged stone church. After the abolition of tithes (a 10% tax collected on agricultural crops), like many churches, decay set in and the building was completely demolished in 1839. The current church was consecrated a year later by "the son of the region", Cardinal Sterckx. (Information board on site)

The Wolvertemse Beemden consists of valuable alder and willow swamp forests and moist grassland. When heavy rainfall occurs, the streams overflow their banks, and parts of the Beemden can sometimes remain flooded for weeks. You can explore the area via the Beemdenpad, following the hiking junctions: 523 - 522 - 539 - 538 - 523 - 524. It is a scenic walk on public roads in and around the area. (Natuurpunt)

A chapel in neo-traditional brick and sandstone style, built for the Marian Year of 1954 at the initiative of Pastor Van der Burg and the KVLV-Imde. (Inventory of Immovable Heritage)

A well-preserved example of a local railway (tram) station from the late 19th century, which bears strong typological and architectural similarities to the smaller rural railway stations of the same period. To supplement the railway network, the Belgian state established the National Company of Local Railways on May 29, 1884, so that smaller towns could also be accessed. Under the management of the NMVB, a large tram network and associated infrastructure were developed, now largely replaced by bus lines. The first lines were opened as early as 1885. The application for the Grimbergen-Meise-Londerzeel line was submitted on May 24, 1890, and approved on March 20, 1893. The line opened in phases between 1893 and 1894 (Grimbergen-Meise on September 24, 1893, Meise-Wolvertem on June 26, 1894, and Wolvertem-Londerzeel on December 1, 1894) and was intended for both passenger and freight transport. According to the literature, Wolvertem station was built in 1896. The plans were approved on April 23, 1896, and construction began on April 27. The provisional completion took place on August 13, 1896, and the final completion on October 14, 1897. The land registry did not register a "nouvelle construction d'un chemin de fer vicinal" (new construction of a vicinal railway) until 1906, when it was owned by the "Naamloze Maatschappij der Buurtspoorwegen" (Nameless Company of Local Railways). Freight services were discontinued in 1959, and passenger services in 1968. The station was purchased by the municipality in 1971. It was subsequently sold to a private owner, followed by restoration work designed by local architect Etienne Wijns, completed in 2013. The original wooden structure was replaced with concrete for safety reasons. Today it is used as the WoMa (Wolvertem Modern Art) art gallery. Source: Inventory of Immovable Heritage