Submitted by:

Aleksandra Kurczynska
Ghent, Belgium

Have you already seen Gravensteen? Have you taken photos from Sint Michielsbrug? Have you rested on Graslei when drinking a magic bottle of wine? Have you done something even more ‘Gents’? No matter whether your answer would be yes or no, may I suggest you something different…because: why not ?

The difference I’m going to tell you about, is situated in a western part of the city, and although in order to get there, you will have to follow direction Mariakerke, believe me, this is still in Ghent, and what’s more, it is really not that far from the city center as you would first think.

There are several benches along the paths

They call it “Bourgoyen-Ossemeersen”.
One semi-grey October Sunday, I was doing this cheer-up-yourself walk somewhere along Rooigemlaan and I hoped “something” would happen. Well, after a good hour of wander, finally I noticed “something”. I had no idea what that exactly was but it looked like trees and they were trees indeed, twinkling yellow and green, so I decided to take that colorful direction. Having passed tired and grey buildings’ postures, I ended up aside a road, where the small path was tempting me to go on, along the river. As the path seemed to be completely abandoned, “just in case” I took out my earphones and went further inside the unknown, exactly like the river asked me to do. It smelt like at home in autumn time, when as a child I would wander endlessly through a red-yellowish forest. The river and her friend- a muggy path, lead me to a small bridge, which after having crossed, I ended up at a funny tower that looked like a lock-gate. I passed it too and within a second I saw a big info-board with the name “Bourgoyen-Ossemeersen, natuur punt”. I entered this nature point without any doubts and I knew: this was it!

Follow the river

I like when it’s real and I like when it’s nature. And nature should be wild and free and should grow spontaneously.
Belgium, let’s face the truth, in general, is not such a place. What grows spontaneously here, are mostly well maintained medieval buildings mixed with modern or post modern architecture or cosy cafe’s. As for mother nature though, everything seems to be touched by a human hand. Rivers lost their freedom in geometrical shape of canals. Forest has moved south or to France and playfully looking meadows or hills, even if they are to be found here, seem always to be someone else’s property…

And then I discover Bourgoyen-Ossemeersen, where everything is in its right place and natural shape: my treasure island on this charming but sometimes way too concrete ocean of Ghent.
Bourgoyen-Ossemeersen is a valley, mostly meadowish and swamp-kind (grass area covered here and there by water is called in Dutch ‘meersen’). But you can find there forest part too. Typical landscape of this valley are willow trees, with their amazing hair-of-branches, in spring and summer spread over a flower carpet or dipped into a river- in autumn thus, turned into a sweeping brush playing with colorful leaves.

Divided by the Leie (west part is called Bourgoyen, east- Ossemersen), is this land a paradise for different sorts of plants and animals- specially birds and water birds. Those find themselves at home here, specially in winter time as lower parts of a land are flooded by water then. Some parts of this nature point are closed for visitors and it’s forbidden to enter there, as they are only being hold for unique sorts of animals and plants.

Frodo was here!

But it’s a great area to have a wonderful wander too. At the main entrance, (there are at least two of them as far as I know but I would recommend the one you can approach via M.Gandhistraat), you will find useful information with the map on it, brief discription about the place, pictures of some animals and some paths suggested as for taking a walk- each marked with a different colour.The longest one takes more or less 3 hours, the shortest- a half. The other day I did the longest one- awesome!!!
You can choose your own path there, find an observation point, go along the Leie, or walk in/across forest part. You can seat at one of many benches that you will find here and there, or simply on the grass and enjoy a pick-nick. You can meet people smiling to you, or even saying “hello”, carrying their professional cameras or hear them talking to their children: “look, there…wasn’t that a dwarf?”.
Well, even a kid knows that dwarfs can be found everywhere, but such a peace and rest, where everything plays its own music…you can find here…Some call it zen, some named it just Bourgoyen-Ossemeersen.

If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around, does it make a sound?

To calm down, to breathe fresh air, to take a dear friend for a walk, to leave your troubles and a car behind, to seat and just eat a sandwich from your rugsak, to read a book…after having tasted hundred sorts of Belgian beer (and chocolate) here it is: Bourgoyen-Ossemeersen: yum and pure…for your soul.

Practical info:

the most popular entrance is the one via M.Gandhistraat, in order to get there

By car: go direction Mariakerke and once having approached Rooigemlaan, park your car in the neighborhood of where two roads Rooigemlaan and Drongensesteenweg cross, and then just walk till you find a swimming- pool building, pass it, keep on going straight and you should see the street called Gandhistraat

By public transport: take any bus going direction Mariakerke, 14,15 or 16, from the station and 9 from the city center, get off on Rooigemlaan stop and search for a street Gandhistraat

By bicycle: idem

You may find that some of the paths are forbidden for cyclists, so it’s better to park your bike at the main entrance 
Bourgoyen-Ossemeersen is for everybody and it’s FREE =)

Natuur- en Milieucentrum De Bourgoyen
Driepikkelstraat 32
9030 Mariakerke (Gent), Belgium
Phone: +32 (0)9 226 15 01
Fax: +32 (0)9 236 35 67
Website: http://www.natuurpuntgent.be/bourgoyen.php
Email: bourgoyen.educatie@gent.be
Opening Hours: Weekdays 09:00 – 12:00 & 14:00 – 17:00 / Weekend and Holidays 14:30 – 18:30

Related links:

Dopplr

Gent.be

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