Hollebeke

Hollebeke is a rural settlement on a slope. Its historic centre developed at the edge of an extensive woodland, at a crossroads. If you are choosing a destination for its cultural history or outdoor activities, Marian pilgrimage, church architecture, First World War memorial sites, and walking and golf opportunities offer concrete points of interest.

Townscape and orientation

Hollebeke’s landscape includes a west-to-east ridge and locally significant woodland areas. A recreational walking route follows the former Ieper-Komen Canal and passes through the cuttings of Provinciaal Domein De Palingbeek. The nearby Ieperboog walking network includes a signposted Palingbeek route measuring 7.9 or 12.4 kilometres. The two distances offer a specific choice of route length, without implying a particular walking time.

Komenseweg is also useful for geographical orientation: it leads north to the N365 and Ieper, and south via Houthem to Komen. This helps you locate the destinations mentioned and place Hollebeke in its surroundings, without assuming a specific travel time.

Pilgrimage, church and remembrance

Marian devotion in Hollebeke dates back to around 1300, or possibly earlier, and gave rise to the pilgrimage of the Three Marys. This tradition connected Hollebeke with Linzele, also known as Linselle in northern France, and Dadizele. The annual novena in honour of Our Lady of the Nativity takes place from 8 to 16 September.

The present-day Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Geboorte church was built in 1922 to plans by the architect M. Dujardin. Its basilica-style layout includes a crossing tower and a three-aisled nave. “Three-aisled” means a central nave with two side aisles; the crossing tower stands above the intersection of the main axes. Small chapels featuring various Stations in bas-relief are located around the church.

The war memorial stands directly beside the church, on Hollebeke-Dorp. Its inscriptions commemorate the heroes of Hollebeke, the fallen civilians of Hollebeke and the French fallen of 1914–1918. The memorial also includes an entry for 1940–1945. Together, the church and memorial bring architectural history, pilgrimage and several aspects of remembrance together in one place.

Traces of the First World War

The old castle of Hollebeke was destroyed in the First World War and never rebuilt. Its motte can still be seen in the landscape near Kasteelhoek-Klijtgatstraat. According to local tradition, Jachthuis De Vodde was rebuilt in 1921 as a hunting lodge in place of a castle.

Lock Lodge is also part of the history of the First World War. The position was built on the never-completed Ieper-Komen Canal, east of Lock 6. In September 1917, Allied troops captured it during the Third Battle of Ypres. The remains lie in a small wood beside the former canal, east of Komenseweg and Provinciaal Domein De Palingbeek, and west of the Ieper-Komen railway line and Kasteelhoekstraat. A path leads from Kasteelhoekstraat, west of the railway, to the remains.

Other historical landmarks include a German military post on the railway embankment, about 400 metres east of Hollebeke-Dorp, and two concrete military structures in a small wood beside the former canal. The latter are about 600 metres east of the church, around 150 metres northwest of Kortewildestraat near house number 33, and west of the canal and the present-day Ieper-Komen railway line. The approximate distances and directions help distinguish these sites from one another.

Walking and golf

The signposted Palingbeek walking route in the nearby Ieperboog network is offered at 7.9 or 12.4 kilometres. If you are comparing different route lengths, the difference between the two figures is 4.5 kilometres. A guided cycling tour by Toerisme Ieper also runs through the nearby area, via Palingbeek or the Zuid starting point and The Bluff.

For golf enthusiasts, the Start-2-Golf sessions at De Palingbeek Golf & Country Club in Hollebeke last two hours. They include a professional introduction on the driving range and putting green. The golf club also offers group golf introductions with professional guidance, practical training sessions and a competition. The two-hour introduction and the group option therefore differ in their described components, so you can take the focus of the activity into account when planning.

Discover more destinations: Zillebeke, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Boezinge, Elverdinge.

For the broader travel overview: Ypres.