Flanders has more than 1700 city giants. Several cities have their giants that represent the city. We also have 5 giants in our village. History Giants have been around for centuries, and their numbers are still increasing. The original giants depict religious figures and stepped in processions, where they had…
This text and photos come from the website Balen Bevrijd, Het bombardement op Leopoldsburg van 28 mei 1944 , consulted on 02/04/2020, (www.balenbevrijd.com). Thank you for your permission to use the article and photos on this site! Translation by Patrick Marquenie In the night of 27 to 28 May 1944,…
In the past there were 2 velodromes in Leopoldsburg. I received the information on this page from Jean-Pierre CHANOINE, for which I thank him. The information was extracted from the thesis of Bert MOEYART. The full thesis can be found here. Old photo of a wooden cycling track (presumably at…
At the end of the nineteenth century, the transitional areas between Leopoldsburg and its surrounding municipalities gradually became densely populated. The expansion of the municipality was carefully prepared and executed. The streets and avenues were laid out before the construction could begin. In order to prevent a proliferation, the municipal…
by Jef GEBOERS Translated by Patrick Marquenie Maria Coletta Reynders Coletteke rijstpap (rice pudding) was one of the most famous village figures of Leopoldsburg. In Café Colette she sold delicious rice pudding that was very popular. Her real name was Maria Coletta Reynders. She was born in Paal in the district…
On May 28, 1944, the Allies bombed the Camp of Beverloo, which was occupied by the Germans. We will never know how many German soldiers died. There were 270 fatalities among the population. The OLV Visitation Institute in Leopoldsburg also had to deal with bombs. They later released a booklet…
Overview World War II in Leopoldsburg It’s hard to just one gigantic war like that of World War II, going on to describe just Limburg territory. Following are a few significant events that took place during this period. On January 10, 1940 a German Messerschmidt makes an emergency landing at…
The Buteyn brothers From first hand: memories of May 27, 1944. Text: Jules Buteyn Translation by Patrick Marquenie Everyone in our village knows the Buteyn brothers. They remember the war years vividly. Underneath you can find a little piece of their family history during the anxious days before the liberation….
Some passages of a text by Omèr Gelaesen (translation by Patrick Marquenie) On June 6 1944 the long-awaited day started: the start of the liberation of Europe. That morning, In France, some tens of thoudsand soldiers stormed from their boat through the chilly seawater onto the beaches of Normandy. In…
Underneath an overview with the mayors of Leopoldsburg. We are still looking for information to replace the ??? or to complete the page !
