The first carnival in the country The Bommels Festival takes place during the first weekend after Epiphany (January 6). 'Bommel lopen' means walking around with a mask on. Because it takes place just after New Year, the Bommels Festival is one of the first carnival festivities in Belgium. Saturday...

Op loopafstand van de Grote Markt, op de hoek van de oude vesten, tref je de "Zottenmuur" aan: een bas-reliëf van 9x9m waarop allerlei kleurrijke bommelfiguren zijn aangebracht. Het is een ontwerp van Jacques Vandewattyne (1932), een kunstenaar uit het naburige Ellezelles. Links boven, met de bel in...

Ronsiese zot Het beeld midden in de fontein is het monument van de "Ronsiese Zot". Het werd ontworpen door Florent Devos. Hij brengt hulde aan de Bommelsfeesten. Zij worden gevierd het eerste weekend na het Driekoningenfeest, vlak na nieuwjaar. De Ronsenaars zetten dan hun zotskap op en feesten tot...

Bruul Park is located in the historic city centre near De Hoge Mote, Must – Museum of Textiles and St Hermes' Crypt. The red beech tree is of particular note. This 200-year-old tree is protected and stands on the location of the former gallows of De Vrijheid. Practical details: Address for GPS: Sint...

The Saint Hermes Basilica & Crypt are being thoroughly restored. Construction of the Saint-Hermes Basilica started in the 11th century. It's now largely in the late Brabant Gothic style. The tower is 79 metres high and has a carillon with 49 bells, with which concerts are regularly performed. The...

Mentally ill believers from every corner of the country came to Ronse on pilgrimage, hoping to be cured by St Hermes, throughout the Middle Ages. The condition for receiving a cure was some physical austerity in return. This is the origin of the Fiertel Procession, an annual 32.6 km (20 miles) walk...

Mentally ill believers from every corner of the country came to Ronse on pilgrimage, hoping to be cured by St Hermes, throughout the Middle Ages. The condition for receiving a cure was some physical austerity in return. This is the origin of the Fiertel Procession, an annual 32.6 km walk. The...

Getuigenheuvels The highest hills in the Flemish Ardennes are the getuigenheuvels: imposing remains from an era, millions of years ago, when the Flemish Ardennes bordered the sea. Ronse is surrounded on several sides by these beautiful hills. Kluisberg, Hotondberg, Hembelberg and Muziekberg are...

Discover the Renovated Crypt of Saint Hermes in Ronse with Stefaan Degand and the ErfgoedApp On February 2, 2019, the collegiate church was elevated to the status of Basilica Minor or "minor basilica." Since 2020, there has been a flurry of activity in and around the basilica. The entire site has...

City Tour "Onze Vrijheid" - groups St Hermes' Crypt is undoubtedly the showpiece of the city. Crypts are a typical feature of Romanesque-Gothic architecture; they are used to store the relics of a saint. In the case of Ronse, the relics are those of St Hermes, who was invoked against nervous and...