On the left bank of the Senne, a stone’s throw from Leest, you come to the village of Heffen, famous for its picturesque centre. The King Baudouin Foundation designated Heffen’s village square ‘one of the most beautiful village squares in Flanders’. Heffen still boasts a number of impressive buildings like the neo-Gothic Church of Saint Amand, the Brewer’s House and the local government offices dating from 1870.
The village is surrounded by agricultural land. The River Senne winds its way through this rural idyll, making Heffen an ideal base for a walk or bicycle ride. Discover the cycling circuit Walem-Heffen-Battel or the cycling circuit Leest-Hombeek.
Don’t miss
1. Chapel of Our Lady of the Thorn
The Chapel of Our Lady of the Thorn (kapel Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Maria Ten Doorn) was built in 1643 by Christiaan van Laethem, then burgomaster of Mechelen, to replace an older chapel. The present-day chapel owes its name to a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary that hung from a hawthorn tree around 1500 and was believed to possess special powers. The stone wall was erected around the chapel to protect it against flooding.
2. Heffen village square
Heffen boasts one of the most beautiful and authentic village squares in Flanders as well as a number of impressive buildings like the sandstone tower of the neo-Gothic Church of Saint Amand, which dates back to the thirteenth century. And it would be hard to miss the town house built in 1913 by Frans Prosper Verschueren, brewer and burgomaster of Heffen at the time.
The village square is accessible for wheelchair users. You might need a little push to cross some of the thresholds.
3. Het Broek wildlife area
Until the early Middle Ages a large part of Heindonk and Heffen consisted of marshland because the Rupel and Senne rivers regularly flooded its fields. The Blaasveldbroek marsh, popularly known as ‘Het Broek’, is a reminder of that time. Today Het Broek is a green 160-hectare escape from the metropolis for nature lovers, hikers, joggers and anglers. The otter and beaver island is a popular picnic spot. When you visit Heffen village, be sure to take some time-out in nature too.
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