The Glowing Lord of Eersel
Here in the Brabant village of Eersel, some two hundred years ago, people didn’t have much money. Yet they were happy and content. Except for one man. He was alone. Without a wife, children or friends. That wasn’t really surprising. Because this man had only one dream: to become rich… This 30-kilometre cycle route, following the junction points, takes you through this exciting story. Along the ‘Gloeiige’ route, you’ll find several ‘Gloeiige footprints’, as shown in photo 4.
In de Kempen , friends and family loved to get together in the evenings. …
Here in the Brabant village of Eersel, some two hundred years ago, people didn’t have much money. Yet they were happy and content. Except for one man. He was alone. Without a wife, children or friends. That wasn’t really surprising. Because this man had only one dream: to become rich… This 30-kilometre cycle route, following the junction points, takes you through this exciting story. Along the ‘Gloeiige’ route, you’ll find several ‘Gloeiige footprints’, as shown in photo 4.
In de Kempen , friends and family loved to get together in the evenings. That’s when they’d tell each other scary stories. The story of the ‘Gloeiige’ was a particular favourite. This fiery ghostly apparition would appear all over the area. Here, he left his mark, including charred footprints that can still be found everywhere… Once upon a time, the Gloeiige was a stately landowner from Eersel. But because of his greed, a curse now rests upon him. Discover why the Gloeiige was cursed. And where you might bump into him…
Cycle through the flames of an age-old curse
It is the depths of winter; it is raining heavily and it is freezing cold. Yet a man from Eersel sets off. He is not the only one. Trudging across the marshy Cartierheide , the man from Eersel comes across a staggering, drunken weaver. The craftsman has sold his woven goods at the market in Flanders and is on his way home. A small leather pouch dangles from his belt, containing his day’s earnings. The man from Eersel sees his chance. He robs the poor weaver and leaves him unconscious on the heath, to die of the cold. And all for just a single silver coin.
What a let-down! Just one silver coin. The man from Eersel learns: “You can’t pluck a feather from a bald chicken.” So he devises a new strategy to get rich. “I’ll become a land steward.” No sooner said than done. The man becomes the steward of a large estate. In this new role, he fiddles with the measurements of the land around Eersel. More land for the inhabitants of the village of Weebosch, at the expense of the land belonging to the inhabitants of the hamlet of Boksheide. In exchange for this, he collects seven silver coins.
The residents of Boksheide do not trust the survey or their new land surveyor. “Swear to us that you’re not lying,” they demand. The man from Eersel secretly puts some soil from Weebosch into his clogs and swears: “As surely as the Creator above us, I stand here on the soil of Weebosch”. Not a lie, but certainly a deception.
“The devil always shits on the biggest pile,” as they say in Brabant. In other words: “Someone who’s already rich often ends up with even more money.” And so it was in this case. Just a few weeks after his deception, the man from Eersel found something on his land: a chest full of gold coins! He couldn’t believe his luck.
Two days later, the man from Eersel came across a desperate pilgrim on his land. The pilgrim was searching for his chest. He was in tears. “My wife and children are suffering from the Red Plague. That is why I am on my way to Saint Lucia, the patron saint who has already healed several people. I brought a chest full of gold as an offering, but I lost it. Please, my good man, tell me that you have found this chest.”
The plea leaves the man from Eersel unmoved. He denies the accusation and once again swears his innocence: “If I have the chest, I shall wander around here in flames.” The pilgrim leaves. Without the chest. Without hope. And the man from Eersel? He is rich. So rich that he buys yet another piece of land.
In the middle of the night, he walks onto his estate. There, in the utmost secrecy, he moves the hidden posts that mark the boundaries of his estate. He whispers softly but incessantly: ‘My land, my land, this is my land.’ If you listen carefully, you can still hear this today. And by then, his estate has become immense. Everyone must know this! That is why he is building a gigantic castle right in the centre of Eersel’s market square. “Now everyone can finally see how rich I am!”
As soon as the castle is finished, a mysterious pilgrim comes knocking. “I am suffering from the Red Plague and burning with fever. May I please have a sip of water?” The man from Eersel refuses even this simple request and furiously throws the pilgrim out of his castle. Clouds gather. There is thunder and lightning. And suddenly, the castle bursts into flames. It is the curse of the pilgrim, who had been deceived before.
Everything the man from Eersel owns burns to the ground. Only the water pump on the Markt remains standing proudly. And the greedy man is engulfed by the flames. But he does not actually die. As punishment, he must remain ‘glowing’ for ever. Neither dead nor alive…
This story teaches the people of Eersel that greed does not pay. Ever since, they have been known as ‘simply content’. To this day, the Gloeiige still roams the places where he committed his crimes. Do you dare to visit these places?
Why not hop off your bike and explore...
Make your cycling adventure complete and let various businesses in Eersel surprise you with special products, offers and packages themed around the ‘Gloeiige’. For example, you can enjoy a GLOEIEND tripel on the terrace at De Keizer Eten & Drinken (TerSpegelt) in Eersel. But don’t forget to treat yourself to a delicious snack, a refreshing ice cream or a unique souvenir.
Are you content, or will your greed lead you to suffer the same fate as the Gloeiige?
Here’s what you’ll see
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TerSpegelt Leisure Park
TerSpegelt Leisure Park (Stop 1 – Starting point)
Postelseweg 88
5521 RD Eersel
Navigate to the starting point
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09
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89
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12
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11
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09
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08
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88
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65
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06
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61
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60
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The Secret Whispering Poles – De Gloeiige
The Secret Whispering Poles – De Gloeiige (Stop 6)
The Secret Whispering
Poles Steenselseweg
5511LA Knegsel
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86
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88
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87
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10
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64
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TerSpegelt Leisure Park
TerSpegelt Leisure Park (Stop 14 – End point)
Postelseweg 88
5521 RD Eersel
Navigate to the destination
- 09
- 89
- 12
- 11
- 09
- 08
- 88
- 65
- 06
- 61
- 60
- 86
- 88
- 87
- 10
- 64