Local history society presents yearbook: “No other building in Belgium has as many different brick sizes as Westmalle Castle.”

For example, Leo Van Ginckel wrote an extensive article in the yearbook about Baron Emile de Turck de Kersbeek, who bought the castle of Westmalle together with his wife from Ludovic Geelhand in 1878. The baron was also mayor of Westmalle for nineteen years. Although less known in the community, he did a lot for the community.

Leo Van Ginckel received access to Baron De Turck’s original notebook and other documents for his research from the Van der Straten Waillet family. Within the historical circle, a working group was set up under the leadership of Leo Van Ginckel to further investigate the history of the castle. For example, there is still uncertainty about the different construction dates. “Brick research can help us with this,” says Van Ginckel. “The larger the brick, the older the period. There is no other building in Belgium that contains so many different sizes of bricks.”

The local historians measured the various bricks with great patience. “On the clay there are bricks of 34 centimeters long, but on the other side in the foundations there are bricks of 28 centimeters. And there are also smaller ones. Ultimately, brick research does not provide a 100% definitive answer, because demolition bricks from another building may also have been reused. Mortar research is more watertight, because you can only apply it once.”

During those tests for the mortar examination in October last year, they found a gold coin from 1927, hidden in a cellar joint. In the meantime, the value has already risen from 600 to 1,000 euros. The mortar analysis did not produce the expected result, because the carbon dating went wrong. They had fired with peat instead of wood. In the twelfth century there were no forests in Westmalle. Everything was still heather. The nearest forest was Zoerselbos. “But we still found that coin,” laughs Van Ginckel.

Very exceptionally, those present were given a tour of the castle cellars, where surprisingly enough there is still a fairly modern kitchen. There is also a prison, “but reportedly no one was ever locked up,” says Marc Smolders, who was given his first guided tour.

Lies from café Harmonie: social heritage

The 2025-2026 yearbook not only focuses on stone heritage, but also on social heritage. Jan Vorsselmans and Wilfried Van Bavel wrote down their memories of café Harmonie, ‘Bij Lies’. Lies Mertens (1931-1994) was the most popular café owner in Westmalle among the youth in the 1970s and 1980s. She was married to the art-loving butcher Marcel Celens from Oostmalle, but the two previously had a LAT relationship, because Lies actually lived in her café. With little privacy. In her younger years she was a haute couture seamstress in Antwerp. Her clients included Sonja Cantré and Paula Semer. No one expected that Lies would keep café Harmonie open after the death of her mother Emma.

The anecdotes are endless. It sometimes happened that the customer who scooped the last bowl of soup from the soup kettle still found a dish rag in the ladle. When De Kreuners performed there, Walter Grootaers dedicated the song ‘She has style’ to the café owner. Lies had her own fan club. Crisis parties were organized at Lies where unemployed people were allowed in for free and customers who showed their cap card received a discount.

At the end, Lies started drinking more and no longer took care of herself as well. She died in 1994 at the age of 62. Her husband Marcel – who had a hard time but who clearly missed her after her death – survived her for another two years and died at the age of 69.

Marcel Wouters also wrote a contribution about the war years of his father Frans Wouters, who participated in the 18-day campaign, was taken prisoner of war, was released, lived in hiding and was denounced. With the exception of the youngest, all sons and sons-in-law of the nine-member family were scarred by the war.

Evy and Linda Keysers wrote and reconstructed the history of the house ‘next to the church’ in Oostmalle, once a grocery store and later the Kempense Kunsthal. Luc Cox made a chronicle of the Gijles ranger family, in the service of the De Renesse family from Oostmalle. Hunting ranger Constant Gijles was murdered in 1941 in the Gestelbossen. Finally, Agnes Smits made a nice contribution about the Forest Violet on Nooitrust, connected to the Leirs family.

The yearbook costs 35 euros, has 235 pages and can be purchased via www.heemkundigkringmalle.be.