Flanders will showcase 1,207 heritage activities on Sunday for the 38th annual Open Monument Day, with this year’s edition focusing on the care and restoration work that keeps historic sites standing.
Organised by heritage body Herita, the event carries the theme In Good Hands and gives visitors a behind-the-scenes look at the people and skills involved in preserving monuments.
From the Bijloke site in Ghent to Antwerp’s Boerentoren, heritage sites require constant care and expertise to withstand the passage of time.
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Fires, wars and decay have long threatened historic buildings, while more recent pressures such as climate adaptation and rising maintenance costs also put heritage at risk.
Herita said Flanders benefits from a well-developed system for cataloguing and protecting heritage. Restorers, volunteers, architects, researchers, site managers, public authorities and local residents all play a role in safeguarding it.
This year, visitors will be able to explore 900 heritage locations, a record for Open Monument Day.
In Kortrijk, the host city, 70 activities will take place across 50 locations, including the restoration of the Guldensporencollege.
In Stabroek, near Antwerp, visitors will be lifted above Ravenhof Castle by a SkyWatch crane, while in Beerse they can see the restoration of the protected motor yacht De Napoleon.
In Flemish Brabant, highlights include the Schaffen Mill and the Justus Lipsiuscollege in Leuven, where visitors can experience the atmosphere of student life.
In Limburg, the programme offers a behind-the-scenes look at restoration work in Mariapark in Lommel. In East Flanders, visitors can watch the careful restoration of valuable gravestones.
