Slijpe: Discover church and farm history

Slijpe offers a clear focus for trip planning on local and architectural history: the Sint-Niklaas parish church, historic farmsteads and other buildings represent different periods and uses. This profile is complemented by a 14-kilometre digital walking route. When choosing a hotel for a stay in Slijpe, you can decide in advance whether to focus your visit primarily on church architecture, historic farmsteads or the development of the landscape.

Sint-Niklaas Parish Church and churchyard

Sint-Niklaas Parish Church was restored after the First World War. Some older sections of wall were preserved, while the hall church with its crossing tower was largely rebuilt to its pre-war appearance. The church therefore shows both older building elements and a defining period of reconstruction. The church complex includes a walled churchyard with old pollarded lime trees, chapels and a memorial stone to the First World War. A 17th-century marble baptismal font is also part of the parish church’s furnishings. The church’s history thus encompasses both architectural development and memorials, as well as a dated furnishing.

Farmsteads and historic buildings

Nearby Groot Tempelhof links local history with the history of the religious orders. It was formerly the seat of the Slijpe commandery of the Knights Templar; from 1312, the commandery was assigned to the Knights Hospitaller. They were responsible for the administrative and financial management of the estates in the surrounding area. Klein Tempelhof represents a different period of construction as a historic farmstead: architect T. Raison designed it in 1920. Its distinctive features include a central avant-corps and a stepped gable.

Other buildings can also be distinguished by period and function. “'t Dorpshof” is an 18th-century historic farmstead near Slijpe’s village centre and west of the church. The Onderpastorie in Slijpe is a former curate’s house from the 19th century. It is distinct from the Pastorie of the Sint-Niklaas parish: its core dates from the first half of the 18th century. The similar-sounding names therefore refer to different buildings and building histories. The former town hall was designed by A. Neirynck in the eclectic style in 1923.

Landscape history and walking

The landscape can also be understood in its historical context. In the early Middle Ages, the Spermaliegeul ran from west to east along the road from Mannekensvere to Gistel; it was one of the most important tidal channels in this salt marsh plain. The Zwarteweg crossed it halfway between the village centres of Slijpe and Sint-Pieterskapelle. This perspective on the tidal channels adds a landscape dimension to the architectural history of individual buildings.

There is a 14-kilometre digital walking route for Slijpe, with a GPS download. Before your trip, check whether the route and download are available.

The historical themes can also be distinguished by their time scale: the history of the buildings and their furnishings spans from older sections of wall and a 17th-century baptismal font to designs from the 20th century. The Spermaliegeul, by contrast, takes you back to the landscape history of the early Middle Ages. If you would rather focus on architecture or landscape development when planning your trip, this distinction offers a concrete thematic framework for your stay in Slijpe.

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