Anderlecht through the Ages

Erasmus House, beguinage, Collegial Church of St. Peter and  St. Guidon and urban farm

During our visit of the Erasmus House we will go back to 1521 , the year in which Desiderius Erasmus stayed there for 5 months at the invitation of his friend Pieter Wijchman, canon and schoolmaster of the Chapter of Anderlecht.

We will discover both the intellectual and private life of the great philologist and theologian among others through a rich collection of paintings and antiquarian books. We will also stroll through the gardens of pleasure and knowledge comprising a garden of medicinal herbs and a philosophical garden with its different rooms shaped by modern day artists.

The house, built in the early Renaissance style, is a museum run by the municipality of Anderlecht since 1931. Nowadays it’s also a meeting place for numerous cultural activities.

The nearby small beguinage came into existence in 1252 in the shadow of the Saint Guidon church thanks to a donation from one of its canons. One of the cultural and historic icons of Anderlecht is certainly the Collegial Church of Saint Peter and Saint Guidon built between the second half of the 14^th century and the middle of the 16^th century and which we shall also shortly visit. It is one of the most beautiful Brabantine Gothic style churches in the Brussels region.

Afterwards we will be welcomed for lunch at the restaurant “ Le Chapeau Blanc”, situated at a 5 minutes’ walk from the Erasmus House.

After lunch we take a short metro ride to discover modern day Anderlecht. We visit the first urban farm in the Brussels region called the “BIGH-project”  (Building Integrated Greenhouses). Our guide will take us to the fish nursery, the vegetable plots and other plants grown without the use of pesticides and antibiotics; we will learn everything about the optimal use of water, energy and the recycling of waste for agricultural purposes.

The farm, in fact the largest aquaponics roof farm in the world,  is built on the roof of the Foodmet, a food market designed on the historic site of the Abattoir.

Lunch: restaurant “Le Chapeau Blanc” (rue Wayez straat, 200 1070 Anderlecht) 2 courses, incl.water and 1 glass of wine/beer /soft drink plus coffee or tea. Vegetarians please notify at registration.

If you have registered and paid for this event, let the organiser know, preferably by e-mail, and he will arrange for more detailed instructions and guidelines in the week preceding the outing.

It is possible to come by car but Anderlecht is very busy on a Saturday and parking places may be hard to find. Therefore it is highly recommended to come by train and or metro.
From the Central or South train station the Erasmus House is served by the Saint Guido station on the Erasmus metro line (line 5).
The station is at a 5 minutes’ walk from the House.

The urban farm or BIGH-project is sitituated at: Foodmet, Site Abattoir,Quai de l’industrie 168, rue Ropsy-Chaudron, 24 1070 Anderlecht. We will get there after a short metro ride (included in fee) and walk.