Today I visited a town many will recognize for its festival: Tomorrowland. Is it a coincidence it is organized in Boom?
For those into (European) football, Romelu Lukaku played his first official matches in this town. Location-wise the area is close to the confluence of the rivers Rupel and Scheldt, in the triangle Antwerp, Ghent and Brussels.
As an etymology enthusiast, the Dutch “boom” translates to “tree”. The English tree comes from the “visit” England got (once upon a time) from ‘the Vikings’. You may realize that in English you use your version of boom but anglicized it to “beam” which is from Germanic origin. What the English now understand for the word “boom” is an onomatopoeia. Started when bombs were introduced and boomed.
The hike is called Rediscovering Brickmakers’ (in Dutch we call it stonebakers) Tunnels. Not even so far from my home, I was pleasantly surprised the hike was not completely flat terrain. If you want to check out the hiking details, click here. Surprisingly the festival ground is literally noticeably on higher ground and once a year (oh you read my mind). Perhaps you have seen photos or vids of the festival, resembling a Greek theater lay-out.
These creatures (trolls) can be found in the provincial recreation domain The Schorre, where the festival ground is. Seven of them are playing in the Troll forest. My hike only revealed 4.
I believe I passed three brickmakers sites. They were not open when I visited though but the bars were as of 10am on a Thursday. Funny advertisement for Klinkaert, apparently “stonegood” (synonymous to Dutch stoneware, perhaps you recognize good and goods) beer.
Here is the festival grounds, with the two trolls probably trying to find Ursa Minor. As mentioned, it resembles a Greek theater. The slope itself is not so obvious but perhaps you can put it better in perspective with the stairs on the right.
What about a view of Boom next to the river Rupel?
Oh, and of course a town with many international visitors on a yearly basis has some pretty fascinating artwork:
Disclaimer: I am not profiting from the post I make. I just share my experience of this hike. Although I visited many festivals, this was my first visit to this town ever.
Oh, in case you were wondering, the tunnels are dotted all over however most are no longer in use. They are numbered and named per brickmaker factory.
Additional info: https://www.scheldeland.be/steenbakkerstunnels-herontdekt
https://www.wandelknooppunt.app/nl-nl/wandelen/routes/r631/steenbakkerstunnels-herontdekt or English version: https://www.nodemapp.com/en/hiking/routes/r631/brickyard-tunnels-rediscovered
Celtic Belgae 