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Address and directions

Wortel-Colony

Vagrants farm and visitor centre De Klapekster

Vagrants farm and visitor centre De Klapekster

Kolonie 41
2323 Wortel (Hoogstraten)

Here’s where you’ll find the youth residence centre De Bonte Beestenboel and the visitor

Facilities

Parking

At Visitor Centre Colony 5-7 in Merksplas

There is a free car park between the Landloperskapel and Grote Hoeve. For the mobility impaired, there are several parking places provided close to the entrance.

Kapelstraat 10, 2330 Merkspla

Vagrants’ farm

At the intersection of the four buildings is the historical vagrants’ farm. The farm was built after the Belgian state took over the two colonies in 1870. Different wings open onto a courtyard. The vagrants’ farm is property of the non-profit Kem

Wortel Cemetery

Visit this silent witness of Wortel Colony's vagrant past. The vagrants received a number when they arrived in the Colony. The white crosses of the vagrants’ cemetery bear leaden plates, usually with just a number and no name.

Central crossroads

This is the heart of Wortel Colony where the two main alleys cross. Originally there were four buildings, which is why the crossroads were called 'Quatre Bâtiments'.

Vagrants' farm

At the central crossroads of the four buildings, you can

Bootjesven

Enjoy a cozy picnic at Bootjesven (Boating lake)! This naturally occurring fen was deepened by peat extraction. Now it's a quiet place where nature has regained the upper hand.

Konik horses

These robust horses graze these heaths. The Konik horses live outside the whole year and eat grasses, herbs and even bark and twigs. It is best to admire these beautiful animals from afar: they are not domestic animals!

Camping area

Managed by the Agentschap voor Natuur & Bos, this camping zone offers space for 3 tents or 10 people. In the summer, you’ll find a water pump and a fire pit here.

More information about the camping zone can be found on the website www.natuur

Moat

This moat was dug at the end of the nineteenth century to prevent vagrants escaping from Merksplas Colony. The idea was to encircle the entire Colony. The moat is 6.5 km long, however, it was never completed in the south.