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Turnhout - Belgium

First Visit

My first visit to Turnhout happened a few months ago. The reason for this visit was, shopping. My relatives, who live in the Netherlands, took me there because, eventhough being abroad, it is the closest shopping area for them.

That time the rain was pouring, there was not much time to look around. We hopped from store to store to avoid the rain as much as possible. It wasn't until we sat down at a restaurant that I noticed the buildings. Turnhout has a broad collection of old and new buildings in every street. I knew I had to bring my camera next time.

The Name

So last week I did. I read a little about Turnhout too. It seems there are two theories about the origin of the name Turnhout.

First Theory

It originates from the Germanic words 'durnum hulta' which means thorn forest.

Second Theory

It originates from the word 'Tower'. A tower in the forest that grew into the center of a village over time.

The second one is more appealing to me, but who am I.

The Buildings

As stated above, old and new buildings side by side. I am more passionate about old buildings. Look at these images. What a great job they did back then.

At the left you can see a small part of a modern building, next to it, a beautiful old building with lots of details. Further down the street I found this building.

It is in desperate need of maintenance. At this moment it is empty. I hope it will find an owner who appreciates the building more than the former one.

A detail of an old drainage pipe.

We also came across this passageway that in my opinion could easily be used for a thriller or horror scene.

Churches

There are several churches and a mosque in Turnhout. A huge church is in the middle of townsquare. Due to activities related to the Soccer World Cup, this church was hidden behind a big stage. It was not possible to fit the whole church into a frame. Here are some shots of the surroundings.

In a street a little farther away from townsquare we found this smaller church.

It is one of those old and new combinations again. Next to it there is an appartment building, but there was a surprise hidden between the two.

Statues

These religious statues were not the only statues we came across during our walk. In Turnhout you can find pieces of art in many different styles.

The fountain ball is in the center of a roundabout, next to the church with the hidden statue garden. Okay, the last one is not a piece of art but it somehow reminded me of a minion so I included it anyway.

Lot to Do

There are 4 museums in Turnhout, and especially during summer there are all sorts of activities in this city, music, film, kids events

Friendly People

To me the people of Turnhout came across as friendly people. While taking pictures I more than once stood in weird places, in middle of the road, very close to the edge of the pavement, and such. Every time that happened people would stop, thinking I wanted to cross. One car even stopped to not cross my view while taking a picture from the other side of the road. Nice people!

Flowers

To break the grey in the street, there are flowers everywhere.

Check It Out

Go visit Turnhout. I didn't even tell you about the great food they serve. That will be something for another post.

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