Discover Izegem: Art Deco, technology and walks

Izegem combines Art Deco and technological history with religious heritage and routes for walking and cycling. Its sights and activities offer different points of focus for planning your trip: architecture, historical technology, popular devotion, or a route whose length you can compare with other walks.

Architecture, technology and heritage

Eperon d’Or is an Art Deco building from the 1930s. Architecture enthusiasts will find a tangible connection to this period here. The Stoom en Stroom Museum offers a different way to explore history: it houses the largest steam engine in Belgium that is still in operation. The engine was added in 1936 and weighs 110 tonnes, bringing historical context and technical scale together.

Religious heritage also has its own historical landmarks. The Dankkapel Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Troost in Nood dates from 1923 and was designed by Ch. Laloo. The Sint-Janwandeling in Kachtem brings together history, popular devotion and folklore. It passes the centuries-old Sint-Jan de Doperkerk and tells the story of one of Flanders’ best-known pilgrimage sites, associated with childhood convulsions and throat ailments.

Walking and cycling

The Izegem Heritage Walking Route starts at Eperon d’Or. Another walk, “Ontdek Izegem”, showcases a particular aspect or neighbourhood of the city on the first Sunday of each month. In Kachtem, the Kachtem Ommegang is an annual tradition.

You can directly compare the distances of three unmarked walks: the Emelgem Walk is the shortest at 8.6 km and starts and finishes at Emelgemsplein. The Kachtem Walking Route covers 10.3 km, starting and finishing at Kachtemsplein. At 11.8 km, the Bosmolens Walk is the longest of the three. It starts and finishes at Ter Beursplein. Each route therefore has a specific starting point and endpoint, while the distances differ.

Another walk covers around 7 km, or 10,000 steps, and passes through the green corridor “Wandel op de Mandel”, among other places. For a cycling trip, there is a route of around 18 km along both banks of the Roeselare-Leie Canal. These details distinguish between the activities and their approximate or specific distances, without treating them all as the same kind of outing.

Green spaces and other traditions

Wallemote-Wolvenhof has a nature playground with willow huts, play mounds, an amphitheatre, a suspension bridge, a zip line and an adventure trail. Alongside the historical attractions, it offers an outdoor area equipped with a range of play features. A castle and the 11.2-hectare park are classified as a townscape. The Kachtem Ommegang adds to the cultural and historical heritage described above as an annual tradition in Kachtem.

Discover more destinations: Veurne, Waregem, Nieuwpoort, Avelgem, Oostende, Knokke-Heist, Vleteren, Ingelmunster.

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