Demerbroeken

Demerbroeken is a sprawling nature area in the Demer river valley, stretching between the villages of Testelt, Zichem, Averbode and Diest in Belgium's Hageland region. Covering more than 100 hectares of wet meadows, peat pits and floodplain woodland, it ranks among the most valuable natural areas along the Demer in the province of Flemish Brabant.

What did this landscape look like in the past?

For centuries the surrounding meadows served as hayland, and local peat diggers extracted turf from the ground here. That long tradition of land use left a lasting imprint on the terrain: the old digging pits gradually turned into fens and quaking bogs, floating mats of vegetation that now count among the area's most distinctive features. These traces of historic land management have become valuable habitats in their own right, the kind that would be very difficult to recreate from scratch today.

What can visitors see while walking through Demerbroeken?

Trails lead through open grasslands, wet woodland and along quiet stretches of water. The scenery shifts with the seasons: lush reedbeds and flowering meadows dominate in spring and summer, while autumn and winter reveal flooded stretches and the marshy bends of the river. The area is also home to the house of Ernest Claes, a well-known Belgian writer closely associated with this region.

Who manages the area, and why is it so varied?

Demerbroeken is not overseen by a single organization. The sections known as Vierkensbroek and Voortberg are managed by Natuurpunt, while the Kloosterbeemden section falls under the Agency for Nature and Forest (Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos). This split management means different parts of the area can be shaped toward slightly different conservation goals, which in practice increases habitat diversity across a relatively compact space.

What conservation work takes place in Demerbroeken?

Management is aimed at forming wide reed margins, alternated with species-rich hay meadows and native deciduous forest. This mosaic of habitats — open water, reedbeds, meadows and woodland — supports the kind of biodiversity typical of river valleys in Flanders, offering something different at nearly every turn of the trail.

What birds can be spotted here?

The quiet, expansive character of Demerbroeken draws a wide range of bird species. Visitors may come across the small reed warbler, the reed bunting and the bluethroat, species tightly bound to reedbeds and wet meadows — habitats that have grown increasingly scarce in intensively farmed landscapes elsewhere in the region.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Demerbroeken located? The area lies in the Demer river valley, between the villages of Testelt, Zichem, Averbode and Diest, in the province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium.

Is the area freely accessible? Yes, Demerbroeken is open to visitors at all times without restriction.

How large is Demerbroeken? It covers more than 100 hectares of wet meadows, peat pits and woodland in the Demer valley.

Is there anything to see besides nature? Yes — the house of Ernest Claes, one of the notable Belgian writers of the 20th century, stands within the area and is tied to the region's cultural history.

Who is responsible for managing the area? Management is shared between Natuurpunt, which oversees the Vierkensbroek and Voortberg sections, and the Agency for Nature and Forest, which manages the Kloosterbeemden.