Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
lives in piety and service without
having to take the same vows a nun
would. For military and other rea-
sons, there were more women than
men in the medieval Low Countries.
The order of Beguines offered women
(often single or widowed) a digni-
fied place to live and work. When
the order died out, many
begijnhofs
were taken over by towns for subsi-
dized housing. Today, single religious
women l live in the small l l homes.
Benedictine nuns live in a building
nearby. Tour the simple museum to get a sense of Beguine life.
In the church, the rope that dangles from the ceiling is yanked
by a nun to announce a sung vespers service.
• Exiting opposite the way you entered, you'll hook left and see a lake.
minnewater
Just south of the Begijnhof is Minnewater (“Water of Love”), a
peaceful, lake-filled park with canals and swans. This was once far
from quaint—a busy harbor where small boats shuttled cargo from
the big, ocean-going ships into town. From this point, the cargo
was transferred again to flat-bottomed boats that went through
the town's canals to their respective warehouses and to Market
Square.
When locals see these swans, they recall the 15th-century
mayor—famous for his long neck—who collaborated with the
Austrians. The townsfolk beheaded him as a traitor. The Austrians
warned them that similarly long-necked swans would inhabit the
place to forever remind them of this murder. And they do.
• You're a five-minute walk from the train station, where you can catch a
bus to Market Square, or a 15-minute walk from Market Square—take
your pick.
