# Raspaillebos > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Raspaillebos > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Raspaillebos.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspaillebos > Source revision: 1294381517 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Forest in Belgium}} {{Infobox river|image=Belgium-map-nl.png|source1=|country=Belgium|mouth=}} '''Raspaillebos''' (with the adjacent ''Moerbekebos'' and forest reserve ''Karkoolbos'') is a [forest](/source/forest) area in the [Flemish Ardennes](/source/Flemish_Ardennes) in the south of the [Belgian](/source/Belgium) province of [East Flanders](/source/East_Flanders). The forest area of 50 [hectares](/source/Hectare) is located on the territory of the municipality of [Geraardsbergen](/source/Geraardsbergen) (boroughs Moerbeke and Grimminge), near the provincial border with [Galmaarden](/source/Galmaarden) in [Flemish Brabant](/source/Flemish_Brabant). Raspaillebos connects to Moerbekebos, to the Flemish forest reserve Karkoolbos, and also to the forest area [Kluysbos](/source/Kluys_forest) in Galmaarden. Raspaillebos is managed by the [Flemish](/source/Flemish_Movement) government agency Agency for Nature and Forest (''Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos'') and by [Natuurpunt](/source/Natuurpunt).{{Cite web |date=2020-10-25 |title=AGENCY FOR NATURE AND FORESTS, BELGIUM |url=https://eurelco.org/agency-for-nature-and-forests/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025191902/https://eurelco.org/agency-for-nature-and-forests/ |archive-date=2020-10-25 |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=EURELCO}}{{Cite web |last=B.V |first=Bekking & Blitz Uitgevers |title=Nature Point in the picture |url=https://www.bekkingblitz.com/references/nature-point-in-the-picture |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=Bekking & Blitz Uitgevers B.V. |language=en}} The nature reserve holds European recognition as a [Natura 2000](/source/Natura_2000) area ([Bossen van de Vlaamse Ardennen en andere Zuid-Vlaamse bossen](/source/Bossen_van_de_Vlaamse_Ardennen_en_andere_Zuid-Vlaamse_bossen)) and is part of the [Flemish Ecological Network](/source/Flemish_Ecological_Network). The area has been a protected landscape since 1980 and is also recognized as a [quiet area](/source/quiet_area). == Landscape == Raspaillebos is located on the steep eastern flank of the [witness hill](/source/Witness_Hill), [Bosberg](/source/Bosberg). This beech forest is situated in a highly undulating landscape on the border of the Flemish Ardennes and the [Payottenland](/source/Pajottenland), featuring steep valley walls, rolling hills, and deeply incised valleys. The 50-hectare Raspaillebos, together with Moerbekebos, Karkoolbos, and Kluisbos, forms a 150-hectare forested area on the slopes of the [Bosberg](/source/Bosberg). At 107.5 meters, [Bosberg](/source/Bosberg) mountain acts as a divide between the valley of the [Dender](/source/Dender) river and that of its tributary, the [Mark](/source/Mark_(Dintel)). A steep cobblestone climb bisects the forest and transitions to an ancient Roman road at the top, famously known as the final straight in the [Tour of Flanders](/source/Tour_of_Flanders_(disambiguation)). Apart from some scattered ribbon development, the surroundings are sparsely populated. In a clockwise direction, more than a kilometer from the summit, you'll find the hamlets of Bruinsbroek, Sint-Paulus, Atembeke, [Onkerzele](/source/Onkerzele), and Boskant. Surrounding the forest is a mosaic of meadows and fields, balancing between elevations of 30 and 90 meters. Springs, slopes, and ditches add even more variety to the terrain. The landscape is adorned with a finely woven network of field copses, hedgerows, old [hawthorn hedges](/source/Crataegus_monogyna), [thickets](/source/Thicket), [pollarded willows](/source/Pollarding), and flower-rich sunken lanes. == History == Raspaillebos once belonged to a forest called 'Arduenna' by the [Romans](/source/Roman_people) and known as [Kolenwoud](/source/Kolenwoud) during the time of the [Franks](/source/Franks). This name has its origins in the [Iron Age](/source/Iron_Age), when charcoal was burned en masse for iron production. Kolenwoud formed a wedge between the rich cultivated lands of South [Flanders](/source/Flanders) and [Hainaut](/source/Hainaut_Province) on the one hand and [Hesbaye](/source/Hesbaye) on the other. It consisted of large forest areas connected by smaller groves and thicket-rich grassland (wastine). From the 10th century on, several waves of clearing followed one another, with peaks in the 14th and 19th centuries. It is believed that [Ferraris](/source/Joseph_de_Ferraris)' map of the mid-18th century gives a good idea of the degree of afforestation around 1300. Although at that time, Raspaillebos was only a shadow of the great Kolenwoud, it was still three times larger than today (495 hectares) and extended as far as the walls of the monastery of Beaupré at [Grimminge](/source/Geraardsbergen). The name of the forest is said to derive from the term ''rapaille'' (scum) or from ''raspe'' (coppice). The Old Flemish ''raspe'' (planing, rasping) refers to the traditional coppice management in this forest. Every 12 to 18 years, old stumps of trees and shrubs are cut down to the ground. New shoots sprout here, which continue to grow until the next cutting. Numerous springs spring up in the forest. At one of these springs, a little chapel, 't Juffrouwke, was built because the water was said to help against toothaches. The chapel at the foot of the Bosberg was erected around 1650, after a hermit's statue of Mary became the object of mysterious events. Pilgrims came en masse to Raspaillebos. In no time, a Dominican monastery was established there, and the chapel served as its vestibule. Today, it stands as the only remaining relic of the monastery and was restored in 1997. Still in the forest is the smaller Miss Chapel, popularly known as 't Iffraken or 't Uffraken, dedicated to [Saint Apollonia](/source/Saint_Apollonia). The faithful came here to ask her intercession for toothaches. Steenborre is the most famous spring. It was the meeting point between [St. Adriaan's Abbey](/source/Saint_Adriaan's_Abbey) in [Geraardsbergen](/source/Geraardsbergen), [Cistercian convent](/source/Cistercian_nuns) of Beaupré in [Grimminge](/source/Geraardsbergen), and Dominicans of Atembeke. thumb|''Juffvrouwkapel'' in Rapsaillebos During the revolt of the people of [Ghent](/source/Ghent) in the 14th century, at the time of [Jacob](/source/Jacob_van_Artevelde) and [Philip van Artevelde](/source/Philip_van_Artevelde), the rebels found support among some farmers from [Geraardsbergen](/source/Geraardsbergen) and [Ronse](/source/Ronse) regions. The farmers were driven out of their farms and found refuge in Raspaillebos. Thus, a gang of robbers was formed who, from the forest, carried out numerous raids in the castles of [Ath](/source/Ath), [Lessines](/source/Lessines), and [Flobecq](/source/Flobecq). [Jan de Lichte](/source/Jan_de_Lichte) and his gang are also said to have stayed here repeatedly. According to some sources, the forest owes its name to these villainous stories. The words ''Raspeel'', ''Rapaille'', and ''Raplage'' all refer to scum. == Fauna == Raspaillebos is an important focal point for tens of thousands of birds on their annual migration south. The rich population of raptors in Raspaillebos – [buzzards](/source/Accipitridae), [kestrels](/source/kestrel), [meadowlarks](/source/meadowlark), [hawks](/source/hawk), and [little owls](/source/little_owl) – attests to a healthy food pyramid in the forest. Raspaillebos is home to [tawny owls](/source/tawny_owl), [red squirrels](/source/red_squirrel), [weasels](/source/weasel), [ermines](/source/Stoat), [polecats](/source/polecat), [foxes](/source/fox), and [roe deer](/source/roe_deer). Also notable are the [fire salamander](/source/fire_salamander), [slow worm](/source/slow_worm), and [garden dormouse](/source/garden_dormouse). == Flora == Raspaillebos consist of [beech](/source/beech), [oak](/source/oak), [alder](/source/alder), and [ash](/source/Fraxinus). The nature reserve is especially known for its spring blooms. In spring, the banks of the spring streams form colorful ribbons of the [Cuckoo flower](/source/Cardamine_pratensis), [Primula](/source/Primula), [Adoxa](/source/Adoxa), [Solomon's seal](/source/Polygonatum), [Kingcup](/source/Caltha_palustris), and [Ficaria](/source/Ficaria). Where seepage water rises, rarities such as [giant horsetail](/source/giant_horsetail), drooping [sedge](/source/Cyperaceae), slender [sedge](/source/Cyperaceae), and [spearroot grow](/source/Dioscorea_communis). On the slopes, [wild daffodils](/source/Narcissus_pseudonarcissus), [badger garlic](/source/Wild_garlic), wild [hyacinths](/source/Hyacinth), and [primrose](/source/Primula) provide splashes of color. The wide forest edge of shrubs and shrubby herbs forms a light-rich transition between the forest and the surrounding fields. In places where coppice management is maintained, rare plants such as the [herp Paris](/source/Paris_quadrifolia), [common spotted orchid](/source/Dactylorhiza_fuchsii), and the [common twayblade](/source/Neottia_ovata) grow. == Nature management == The forest is under the management of both the [Flemish government](/source/Flemish_Government) agency Agency for Nature and Forest (Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos) and [Natuurpunt](/source/Natuurpunt). In the forest core, [poplars](/source/Populus), [larches](/source/Larch), and other exotics have to make way for native species. After this metamorphosis, the forest is left as much as possible to the whims of Mother Nature. The final management is limited to maintaining the traditional coppice or middle wood management in a limited number of places. In a belt of meadows around the forest, we opt for forest expansion, which must arise spontaneously under the guidance of a limited number of large grazers. The final goal is forest (70%) with open, grassy places (30%). Where hedges and [willow](/source/willow) rows adorn the landscape, these will be preserved for ecological and cultural-historical reasons, and the small-scale structure will be further enhanced by extensive grazing. However, the goal here is not a forest but an open wasteland of roughened grassland (70%) with thickets (30%). In time, this spontaneous evolution should result in a varied landscape where the boundaries between the forest and its surroundings blur. In 2001, the Raspaillebos was included (together with [Bos t'Ename](/source/Bos_t'Ename) and Everbeeks Wood [[''Everbeekse bossen''](/source/Everbeek)]) in the [LIFE](/source/LIFE_programme) program of the [European Union](/source/European_Union). == Nature Experience == A nature and environmental education center ("NMEC De Helix") has been built in [Grimminge](/source/Geraardsbergen). Raspaillebos is freely accessible on the hiking trails that cross the nature reserve. Five signposted hiking trails (orange (2.5 km), red (3.7 km), green (2 km), yellow (4 km), "Aardgasnatuurwandeling" (7.7 km) and a mountain bike trail have been established. The signposted [cycling route network](/source/cycling_route_network) "Flemish Ardennes", the signposted [walking route network](/source/walking_route_network) "Flemish Ardennes - Bronbossen", the [Streek-GR Flemish Ardennes](/source/Streek-GR_Flemish_Ardennes), and the signposted "Stiltepad Dender-Mark" also visit the nature reserve.{{Cite web |title=Cycle Node Network in Flanders - Biking Network Belgium |url=https://www.fietsroute.org/cycling/cycle-nodes-networks.html |access-date=2023-09-23 |website=www.fietsroute.org}} == Gallery == File:Raspaillebos 01.jpeg|alt= File:Raspaillebos 03.jpeg|alt= File:Raspaillebos 10.jpeg|alt= File:Raspaillebos 08.jpg|alt= File:Raspaillebos 11.jpeg|alt= File:Raspaillebos Ferraris.jpg|alt= == See also == * [Belgium](/source/Belgium) * [Bosberg](/source/Bosberg) * [Flemish Ardennes](/source/Flemish_Ardennes) *[Saint Apollonia](/source/Saint_Apollonia) == References == {{Reflist}} {{coord|50|46|24|N|3|56|12|E|display=title|region:BE_type:forest}} Category:Forests of Belgium Category:Natura 2000 --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Raspaillebos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspaillebos) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspaillebos?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.