The best dog-friendly hikes and walks in S Herenbos, Heihuizen En Zalfen

History The chapel was erected in 1626. At that time, the region was plagued by a pest epidemic. Legend has it that about 60 inhabitants of Oostmalle fled the village with the disease to the heath at Zalfen. Adriaan Mattheeusen, an inhabitant of Zalfen, who lost some of his children to the epidemic, was obliged to bury them in the heath and erected a chapel in their memory. Soon, the chapel served for funeral services, and the dead were buried in the adjacent cemetery. The chapel soon became an attraction for pilgrims. For this reason, it was enlarged in 1726 to its current appearance (see upper part in the side gable dated by means of sintered stone). The chapel is depicted on Ferraris' cabinet map (1770-1778) on a triangular plot of heath. A loop of tall trees surrounds the chapel. On Vandermaelen's map (1846-1854), the chapel is located south of the Salphen road, amidst a triangular forest plot. Description The Sint-Antonius chapel of Salphen is located south of the Salphen road, an old avenue of predominantly tall English oaks (Quercus robur), and is surrounded by tall trees (mainly Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris). It is an oriented brick chapel with a three-sided closed west facade and a lower rectangular choir under slate gable roofs (ridge parallel to the street) with a bell tower. On the east side, there are two tuit-gables on shoulder pieces with crenellations. On the north side, there are rectangular windows and a basket-arch door and a basket-arch door. The plastered and painted interior has a wooden frame with a tie beam. The furniture includes an altar from the 19th century and a painted wooden statue of Saint Anthony Abbot (late 15th or early 16th century).

The St. Anthony's Chapel is a chapel in the hamlet of Zalfen, located near Salphen, which is part of the Antwerp municipality of Malle. Nearby Oostmalle was hit by a plague epidemic around 1625. Around 60 sick people reportedly fled to the heath. A certain Adriaan Mattheeusen, who lost three children to the disease, had to bury them on the heath and built a chapel for this purpose. This chapel was soon also used for funeral services, and the deceased were buried in a nearby cemetery. The chapel attracted pilgrims and was therefore expanded in 1726. https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sint-Antoniuskapel_(Zalfen)

Oostmalle Airfield (IATA: OBL, ICAO: EBZR) is located in the Belgian province of Antwerp, entirely within the municipality of Malle. It is situated east of the town of Zoersel, south of Oostmalle, and west of Wechelderzande. It was constructed between 1952 and 1955 as a NATO reserve airfield. Following various reforms of the Belgian armed forces in the 1990s, the Federal Government's inner cabinet decided to decommission several military areas, including the airbase. On March 30, 2012, the Flemish Government decided to transfer the management of the area from the federal to the Flemish level and put it up for sale. The airfield's natural environment consists primarily of forest and heathland. The Agency for Nature and Forests considers the area to be very important for breeding and migratory birds. 157 bird species were observed there, including the wheatear, woodlark, and curlew. The insect population is also considered very valuable. In September 2023, work began on de-hardening the existing structures, which will continue until March 2025. In the initial phase, approximately 16 hectares of existing pavement and fifteen buildings will be demolished and removed. This will create a significant amount of new nature and allow water to seep in, resulting in a mix of dry and wet heathland landscapes, sand dunes, and valuable forests. The area is also essential for the European priority habitat type of species-rich heathland grasslands. https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vliegveld_Oostmalle

pleasant picnic area with brand new oak benches, both under cover and outdoors.

Beautiful and well-maintained chapel. With interesting information about the chapel and the airfield.

parking 4

It's always worth taking a closer look...

Surprising strip in the forest