The Deken Lauwerys path is a pleasant walking path through historic Hoogstraten. During this walk you will discover the rich cultural past, the beautiful nature and the open landscape of today's Hoogstraten. It was thus called as a tribute to Jozef Lauwerys who meant a lot to Hoogstraten, especially in the historical field.
Distance: 6.5 km.
Time: 1h15.
Grade: Easy.
Type: Circular.
Gps Track: Yes.
Route description: Yes.
Wheelchair: Not suitable.
Dog: Allowed.
Height gain: Flat.
Trail: Paved and unpaved.
Marking: Walking nodes.
Hiking shoes recommended.
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Monuments walk.
St. Catherine's Church can be admired from all sides during this walk. This monumental church and tower, the triumph of bricks, was built in 1524-1546 after a plan by Rombout Keldermans and commissioned by Antoon de Lalaing and Elisabeth van Culemborg. They had the church built around their mausoleum that can be seen at the very front of the church. The church has a length of 80 meters and the tower, at 104.70 meters, is one of the tallest brick buildings in Europe. After the destruction, on 23 October 1944, it was rebuilt to the original one (1950-1958) under the impulse of Deken Lauwerys.
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POI 1 - Jozef Lauwerys.
In 1919 Jozef Lauwerys was appointed as a priest-teacher at the Klein Seminarie van Hoogstraten, where he was a history teacher for 25 years. In June 1945 Cardinal Van Roey appointed him pastor-dean of Hoogstraten with the almost inhuman task to rebuild the destroyed church and tower, which would become his 'life's work'. But it didn't stop there. He more than properly administered his vast deanery and parish and organized a significant number of memorable religious and cultural activities. With former seminary colleague Remi Lens, Lauwerys renewed the famous Procession of the Holy Blood, which was completely destroyed in 1944 along with the church and tower. After his retirement, Lauwerys received numerous decorations and knighthoods. He became an honorary citizen of Hoogstraten and Olen.
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