Bokrijk is a 550-hectare park that lies just west of Genk. Count Arnold IV originally owned the estate but in 1252 passed it on to the Cistercian nuns of the Herckenrode Abbey. The nuns cultivated and leased the land to tenant farmers for centuries.
The estate was eventually confiscated from the abbey and sold off during the French Revolution. After that, the property changed hands a number of times, and, in the latter half of the 19th century, a wealthy family bought it. They erected a castle, planted trees and designed many of the gardens and paths that still exist today. In 1938, the province of Limburg acquired the property with the intention of creating a space to merge nature and culture.
It opened in the 1950s and, over the years, the province has built Bokrijk into a major destination. Like many of Belgium’s other provincial parks, there is a mini zoo and nice paths for walking and biking. But what sets Bokrijk apart is its exceptional, interactive living history museum.
As post-war industry started to shift the face of Flanders, Limburg found the impetus it needed for a massive historical preservation project in the form of an open-air museum at Bokrijk. The idea was to safeguard Flemish agricultural traditions by preserving the old, deteriorating farm buildings. “Contemporary history may be likened to a cataract, setting up whirlpools of particular violence in the realm of material culture and bringing about profound changes in our way of life,” wrote Jozef Weyns, the museum’s first curator. “We must therefore make haste to gather sufficient relics of the lives of our forefathers if we are to have the means of recreating the actual setting in which they lived.”
Under Weyns’ vision, more than 100 Flemish buildings dating from the 11th to the 19th centuries were, over a 20-year period, carefully dismantled and painstakingly reassembled at Bokrijk. The buildings are organised into an extremely realistic village with representation divided into three distinct regions: the Haspengouw, the Kempen and East and West Flanders.
Architecture, furniture and other historical objects tell the story of life as it was lived 100 years ago. But this is also a living museum with re-enactments of every-day life. Visitors can interact with costumed village residents as they work and go about daily chores, whether it’s baking bread, herding sheep or making horseshoes. On my visit, I joked with a farmer, was warmly greeted by a baker and chastised by a priest. Depending on the day, children might follow a class with a stern school marm, make pottery on a 19th-century wheel or simply sweep a floor with a hand-made broom.
Bokrijk is renowned among Flemings – every Flemish school kid has made the trek, and it’s the destination of a family outing every year or so. In fact, the word “Bokrijk” has entered popular vocabulary to describe anything that is outdated or old-fashioned.
After your heritage experience, head to Bokrijk’s outdoor playground – the largest in the country. It provides a wide range of age-appropriate equipment. If you really want to make the kids happy, you can spring for a game of minigolf , a mini-car ride or – better yet – a pony ride. One area of the playground is specially designed for toddlers: Hopla, based on the popular cartoon rabbit character, is a cheerful little play village with bold primary colours and child-sized furniture.
You can quickly transition from cartoon to actual animal by walking just past the play village. A considerable area is devoted to a variety of barnyard animals including donkeys, rabbits, sheep, goats, and ostriches.
The amount of green space at Bokrijk is remarkable. The domain is home to one of the largest arboreta in Flanders. This scenic, peaceful portion of the park features an assortment of ornamental trees and shrubs and a nature education centre. The collections of rhododendron, holly and bamboo are particularly impressive.
One of the best ways to see the domain, plus the scenic surrounding countryside is by foot. The lovely Bokrijk-Kiewit walking path takes you through a range of stunning scenery. Begin your walk at the Brasserie Het Koetshuis and choose between four colour-coded routes that range from three to 9.5 kilometres. You can find a map of all the sign posted walking routes in the information centre or the ground’s restaurants.
You can also use Limburg’s superb cycling network to create a route that explores the domain. Bikes can be rented at the park or the Genk train station by reservation. Check with Bokrijk’s information centre or Genk’s tourist office for bike maps and route advice.
If you are looking for more of a thrill, try your hand at some extreme sports in Bokrijk’s Adventure Park. A challenge course, archery, paintball, mountain biking and ATVs await.
If you’re hungry after all of this activity, you can find everything from snacks to gourmet meals at the park’s seven different eateries. I recommend the cosy St Gummarus Inn (in the Kempen area of the open-air museum), with its simple, regional dishes and prices to match.
Getting to Bokrijk on public transport couldn’t be easier; it has its own train station (the stop just before Genk). From there it’s a short walk to the domain. It’s open until 30 September from 10.00 to 18.00 daily. Season’s passes are available, and you can buy a guidebook at the information centre with photos, descriptions of the buildings and interesting historical facts. Also check with the information centre at the start of your visit for times and locations of special demonstrations and events, which are ongoing. Bokrijklaan 1, Genk
www.bokrijk.be
Nieuwenhoven in Sint-Truiden is a 161-hectare forested area with a castle, walking routes, a dog park, playground, fishing pond and pub. Hasseltsesteenweg z/n
Rullingen in Borgloon features a 17th-century moated castle, a gourmet restaurant, an arboretum and a vast orchard of fruit trees. Rullingen 1
Dommelhof in Neerpelt is a quiet, wooded area intersected by the Dommel river. Here you’ll find interesting cultural experiences like the Klankenbos (Sound Forest), with its unique sound sculptures, and Theater op de Markt, an open-air celebration of theatre. Toekomstlaan 5
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