A 13th-century crossing tower and a witloof story that reached its peak in the 1950s offer two different historical perspectives on Nossegem. There is also a chapel dating from 1860, a preserved sunken lane and three walking routes whose distances you can compare.
Churches, Organ and Chapel
The presbytery of the Sint-Lambertus parish is a protected monument. The Sint-Lambertus parish church has a cemetery and a Lourdes grotto; its built-in crossing tower dates from the 13th century. Another distinctive feature of the church is its organ, made in 1797 by the Nivelles organ builder Adrien Rochet. It was moved to Nossegem in 1815. Its year of creation and its relocation mark different stages in its history. A crossing tower stands above the crossing, where the nave and transepts of a church intersect.
The Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe Chapel was built in 1860 at the corner with Guldendelle, commissioned by the Van Espen family. It is a neoclassical brick pillar chapel and bears a Marian inscription dated 1860. The tower, organ and chapel thus represent different points in time: the tower is an architectural feature dating from the 13th century, the organ has a story of its creation and later relocation, and the chapel was built in the 19th century.
Landscape and Walking Routes
The gently undulating landscape lies on the northern edge of the Brabant Plateau, at elevations between 50 and 72 metres. A preserved sunken lane is located in the northern part of Namenstraat. Alongside the broad landscape setting, visitors can also see a specific local feature and its precise location.
Three walking routes of different lengths are available for comparison: the Witloof Walk is 7.8 km long and linked to Sint-Lambertusstraat in Nossegem. The 7.7 km Noskoems Walking Path is linked to the Sint-Lambertus Church in Nossegem. The routes differ in length by just 0.1 km; their respective local points of reference also help distinguish them. The Dr. Portray Walk is shorter, at 6.4 km, and linked to the Colruyt car park in Nossegem. It is currently being revised. If you are considering this route, check its status before planning.
Witloof Cultivation Through the Years
Witloof cultivation adds an agricultural story to the themes of architecture and landscape. It began in Nossegem shortly before the First World War and flourished during the interwar period. Cultivation peaked in the 1950s and has almost disappeared today. This sequence covers several phases: its beginnings, its heyday, its later peak and the present situation. The focus, therefore, is not on an unchanging tradition, but on how cultivation has changed over time.
Discover more destinations: Sterrebeek, Sint-Stevens-Woluwe.
Return to the overview of destinations: Zaventem.
