Averbode Abbey

Averbode was founded in 1134 and is one of the Premonstratensian abbeys of the Low Countries still occupied by a community, with a Gothic gatehouse of 1400, a baroque abbey church of 1664 to 1672 by Jan van den Eynde with a tall facade and a light interior, and cloister and residential buildings from several periods around a court. Brewing has been associated with the abbey since the medieval period and an Averbode beer is produced under licence today, with a brewery and tasting room on the site alongside a bookshop and a large publishing operation the community runs. Around the abbey lie the sandy heaths, pine plantations and fens of the Kempen, with marked walks from the abbey gate.

What you actually see

• The baroque abbey church - a tall facade and light interior of the 1660s.
• The Gothic gatehouse - the medieval entrance of 1400.
• Abbey brewing and tasting - the beer produced on the site.
• Kempen heath walks - sandy heath and pine from the abbey gate.

When to go

April to October for the walks and the grounds; the church is open year round. Two to three hours including a walk. The brewery has its own hours. Weekends are busy with Flemish day visitors.

Honest expectations

It is a working religious community and access to the cloister and residential buildings is restricted. Interpretation is largely in Dutch. The brewery and tasting operation is commercial. Public transport is a bus.

Nearby

Scherpenheuvel is south; Diest lies south-east.