Top 20 Lakes around Oostkamp

A very large forest with various amenities, including a tea room and restaurant. There's also a herb garden and a farm where you can buy ice cream.

After the Tillegembos (Bruges) and the Palingbeek (Ypres), the Lippensgoed-Bulskampveld became the third provincial domain of West Flanders. In 1970, 201 ha of forest, agricultural land, park, castle and associated farms were purchased and opened to the public after construction and development. The Lippensgoed-Bulskampveld was the largest public domain in West Flanders for a long time. In the 1980s, the castle garden was transformed into a didactic herb garden and the exhibition of agricultural materials in galleries around the herb garden was established. In 1990, one of the leased farms within the provincial domain became available. In order to increase the recreational opportunities, various afforestations were carried out there and new avenues were created. With an additional acquisition of 17 ha in 1992, the surface area was increased to 218 ha. About 10 years later, in 2003, 6 ha of St-Amandus were rented and integrated into the existing domain via an educational nature trail. Finally, in 2005, about 8 ha of forest were purchased and added to the public domain, bringing the total to 232 ha. (Province of West Flanders)

A boardwalk over a large pond: fun guaranteed. And a beautiful panorama.

beautiful boardwalk, recently renovated, and beautiful view

The Reie (the river after which the canals were later named) and its tributaries probably remained untouched until around the 9th century. Nevertheless, it is suspected that small hydraulic engineering works were already carried out by the Romans in the 1st century. The largest amount of river water flowed into the city center in the south, where the Minnewater is located. This elongated lake probably originated in the 12th or 13th century as a kind of reservoir, due to the construction of the locks at the lock house. The name Minnewater could mean communal water. However, a number of linguists explain minne as a water spirit. The Reie was the most important watercourse in Bruges and its name evolved to refer to all city canals. The Reie is further identified with the current Waardammebeek, river stream and ring stream. The locks of the lock house allowed the Minnewater to be kept at a constant level. Their purpose, however, was mainly to regulate the water supply to the city center. There used to be three mills around the Minnewater: the stadvolmolen (1646), a water mill on the eastern bank (where the castle now stands); the fulling mill, a windmill on the fortress next to the Minnewaterbrug symmetrical with the Poertoren and the Kasteelmolen (presumably 13th century), a watermill at the confluence of the Bakkersreitje and the Katelijnevest. The wide Minnewater was probably used in the Middle Ages to keep the water mills running. From the 1620s, the Minnewater was used as a trading basin. When the Coupure was dug in 1752 to create a smoother connection between the Ghent and Ostend canals through the city, the Minnewater lost this function. Dredging boats that ensured regular transport between Bruges and Ghent had their mooring there until 1782. Immovable Heritage Inventory: Minnewater and surroundings, https://id.erfgoed.net/erfgoedobjecten/301976

Free-standing tower, built in 1398-1401 by Jan Van Oudenaarde; from the 15th century to the first quarter of the 20th century, gunpowder store, see name; in 1665 it was used as a fuller's mill for several years; cellars already used as ice cellars before 1785. Restored in 1989-1991 according to a design by architect A. Cottyn (Bruges). Immovable Heritage Inventory: Poertoren, https://id.erfgoed.net/erfgoedobjecten/200722

A beautiful walk to see/hear many birds 🥾🥾🦇🪺🐦‍⬛🦆🦉

The Minnewater lake is located in a very beautiful park landscape within the old fortifications of Brüggen. On the east bank is the striking neo-Gothic castle of the noble de la Faille family, which was built in 1893 according to a design by the architect Karel De Wulf. On the west side, on Professor Doctor Joseph Sebrechtsstraat, is the former building of the Minnewater clinic. After the neo-Gothic 175-meter-long building initially served as a Catholic hospital and was occupied by the German occupying forces from 1917 during the First World War, the nuns returned and used it until 1933. From 1947 to 1977, Joseph Sebrechts used it as an operating room for the adjacent St. John's Hospital. It is currently a residential and care center with a palliative care department. By the bridge is the Poertoren Tower, which served as an ammunition depot under the regime of the time. Poer is a dialect word for gunpowder. For many centuries, the site of today's Minnewater Park was used as a bleaching meadow. The oldest mention of this term dates back to 1580. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the site was still used as a bleaching plant. Then it was divided up and passed into the possession of various owners. On part of it, Ludovic Fraeys de Veubeke had a neo-Gothic castle, Het Fraeyhuis, built and a garden laid out. The castle was demolished in 1969. The gatehouse and some of the linden trees in the garden were preserved. At the beginning of the 1970s, the city council and in particular Mayor Michel Van Maele asked themselves whether the construction of a villa suburb was still justified and whether, on the contrary, the creation of a public park should not be preferred. By deed of August 9, 1974, the city became the owner of the 1.55 hectare site. The design of the park had two objectives: firstly, to complete the tourist pedestrian route near the Minnewater and secondly, to create a green area with various passive recreational functions. The basic structure of the new park was outlined using the valuable remains of the Fraeyhuis gardens. Construction began in 1977 and it was opened in 1979. Shortly afterwards, the park was expanded by another half a hectare through the purchase of two adjacent plots of land.