Discover Drincham through two distinctive aspects: historic traces in the village and a landscape where meadows and wetlands play an important role. If you would like to combine culture with walks through rural Flanders, you will find several starting points here for planning your trip.
Church and Historic Traces in the Village
The Église Saint-Wandrille was rebuilt in 1901. Inside are two remarkable, protected altarpieces. The northern one features a painting of the presentation of the Rosary to Saint Dominic. The southern altarpiece is made of painted wood and dates from the 18th century. The two works therefore differ both in their subject matter and in their materials and date of creation.
The medieval motte of the village’s former seigneury remains in the village centre. Another trace of the village’s history is the Château de Drincham: the widow of Mathieu de Cupère, governor of Gravelines, had it rebuilt in 1620; it was destroyed in 1793. A circular pond that served as a moat still remains. The castle’s history and the surviving moat belong to different periods in the village’s past.
The present-day town hall also has a former use: it was converted from the old presbytery. An original bread oven, still fully functional, remains in its council chamber. Together with the motte and the architectural traces of the Château, it offers several insights into Drincham’s history, which is not limited to a single building.
Meadows, Wetlands and Bird Migration
Meadows account for 14 percent of Drincham’s area. Wetlands, ponds and hedgerows are concentrated there; the village’s biodiversity is also concentrated in these landscape areas. The landscape can therefore be described not only by its open spaces, but also by the interconnected habitats found among the meadows.
Drincham also has three large hunting ponds with shooting huts. The municipality lies on an important migration corridor for wetland birds. Great crested grebes and Eurasian coots travel along the Colme. These details give the landscape a distinct significance alongside the historic sites in the village centre.
Walking Routes with Different Highlights
One variant of the Circuit des nouvelles terres is 12 kilometres long, moderately difficult and marked in yellow. The circuit starts at the church car park in Drincham. Its route passes through the fertile areas of Maritime Flanders and often follows agricultural tracks at the beginning. The route’s length, difficulty, markings and landscape character therefore provide practical points of reference.
The Chemin 05 runs from Drincham to Holque through the rural landscape of Flanders, between two villages. The route and its markings are available to download. Chapels along the way recall the region’s religious history. In contrast to the Circuit des nouvelles terres, the Chemin 05 focuses on the connection between the two villages and the chapels along the route; a distance or difficulty rating is not included in its description here.
When choosing between the routes, you can compare the Circuit’s details on distance, difficulty and markings with the Chemin 05 route between Drincham and Holque. This keeps your decision based on the features actually described. The Route des fours à pains is one of the events supported, promoted and co-organised by the SIVOM des Rives de l’Aa et de la Colme. If you would like to include this event in your plans, check the dates in advance.
A children’s rally is also listed for Drincham. If you would like to include it in your plans, check in advance whether it is currently available.
Discover more destinations: Mortagne-du-Nord, Déchy, Petite-Forêt, Salomé, Lompret, Haverskerque, Pont-Sur-Sambre, Hestrud
For the broader travel overview: Nord.
