The best cycling routes in S Herenbos, Heihuizen En Zalfen

The St. Anthony's Chapel is a chapel in the hamlet of Zalfen, located near Salphen, which is part of the Antwerp municipality of Malle. Nearby Oostmalle was hit by a plague epidemic around 1625. Around 60 sick people reportedly fled to the heath. A certain Adriaan Mattheeusen, who lost three children to the disease, had to bury them on the heath and built a chapel for this purpose. This chapel was soon also used for funeral services, and the deceased were buried in a nearby cemetery. The chapel attracted pilgrims and was therefore expanded in 1726. https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sint-Antoniuskapel_(Zalfen)

De Loteling is nestled in the wooded Zoersel district and offers an oasis of peace and relaxation for those seeking it. Be aware that it can get quite busy here.

More information about this historic farm and the link with Hendrik Conscience and his novel "De Loteling": https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_loteling

Generations of castle lords and the village community have cared for the magnificent heritage we have today. We must cherish this legacy with care. Everyone has a responsibility in this regard: the government, the owners, and certainly also the visitors. We all want to safeguard this for future generations. VORSELAAR: Proposal to protect the castle "de Borrekens", the rectory, the immediate surroundings of the castle, and the linden avenue as a village landmark. The castle was built in the thirteenth century as a military fortification for the Duke of Brabant, granted as a fief to the Lord Van Rotselaer. The latter gave the fortification, which had the character of a moated castle, the ground plan that can still largely be seen today. Little is known about its evolution since the thirteenth century. The castle is depicted in a print by Ertinger in the second half of the seventeenth century and published by Jacques Le Roy. This shows that the current castle's core still largely reflects this condition. The building's military character was lost in the eighteenth century, and it was converted into a "house of pleasure." This involved the demolition of several surrounding walls and defensive towers, and the moat separating the forecourt from the castle was filled in. Simultaneously or shortly before, several embellishments were carried out on the castle, with J.P. van Baurscheit as the architect. The buildings in the forecourt were constructed during the same period. In the 1850s and 1860s, restoration work was carried out in keeping with the fashion of the time. Several dormers, stepped gables, fireplaces, turrets, and battlements were added in the Neo-Gothic style. The interior was also altered during this period and in the same style. Although this renovation significantly altered the castle's appearance, the renovation itself is remarkable as a testament to the Neo-Gothic style that emerged in our region around 1850.

Protected cycle path (gravel). Essentially a straight line from Oelegem to Sint Job in 't Goor (connecting with the Schoten Canal). Despite its straightness, it's not endless and offers plenty of variety.

Between the villas and the trees

The Saint Anthony Chapel of Salphen is located south of the Salphen road, an old avenue of predominantly ascending summer oaks (Quercus robur) and is surrounded by ascending trees (mainly Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris). It is an oriented brick chapel with a three-sided closed west facade and a lower rectangular choir under slate saddle roofs (ridge parallel to the street) with roof turret. On the east side there are two stepped gables on shoulder pieces with braiding. On the north side there are rectangular windows and a basket-handle arch door and a basket-handle arch door. The plastered and painted interior has a wooden truss with tie beam. The furniture includes an altar from the 19th century and a painted wooden statue of Saint Anthony Abbot (end of the 15th or beginning of the 16th century). The text is provided by: Agency for Immovable Heritage (AOE)

Where the Visbeek forms the border with the neighbouring municipality of Malle, this chapel was consecrated on 4 May 1952. The occasion was the 25th anniversary of the youth movement Boeren Jeugd Bond Zoersel, now Katholieke Landelijke Jeugd. The chapel is shaped like a reduced model of a basilica. The chapel is often the target of vandalism. On one occasion, the chapel even had to be removed from the moat, completely destroyed. Fons Schrijvers, who maintains the chapel, no longer knows how often the glass has been repaired and how many statues of Mary have been replaced. Source: information board at the chapel