Who is behind
the Winter Garden?
The Winter Garden of the Ursulines is a collaboration between Stichting Kempens Landschap and the non-profit organization vzw Wintertuin Ursulinen. The organizations joined forces to ensure that the Winter Garden not only remains a beautiful piece of heritage, but also becomes a fascinating place where history, architecture and culture come together.
Stichting Kempens Landschap
Stichting Kempens Landschap manages valuable historical landscapes and open space in the province of Antwerp. The organization was founded in 1997 by the province and several municipalities to save the beautiful colonies of Wortel- and Merksplas. Wortel-Kolonie is now on the UNESCO World Heritage List and activities have been expanded to many other projects. Stichting Kempens Landschap purchases domains, upgrades them and opens them to the public. The organization looks at the landscape integrally and always seeks a balance between culture, nature, leisure and agriculture. Today, the foundation already owns seventy estates and is active in sixty municipalities in the province of Antwerp.
Stichting Kempens Landschap has been advising the various owners and stakeholders of the Ursuline Institute since 2011. In 2015 a public utility foundation was set up to manage the site. Stichting Kempens Landschap sits on the foundation’s board. In 2017 it took the patrimony of non-profit organization Vzw Wintertuin Ursulinen on long lease. Since then, the organization has focused on the restoration and upgrading of those parts of the Ursuline Institute that are accessible to tourists. As part of a Tourism Flanders subsidy project, Stichting Kempens Landschap transformed the Winter Garden into a tourist experience site between 2020 and 2024.
Vzw Wintertuin
The non-profit organization vzw Wintertuin has been managing the valuable heritage on the site of the Ursuline Institute in Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Waver since 1994. This concerns both immovable and movable heritage (the many objects) as well as immaterial heritage (the many stories and traditions). The non-profit organization took a long lease on part of the site and undertook some necessary restoration work. Moreover, it was also the first to open the site’s doors to visitors.
Even today, vzw Wintertuin continues to put its heart and soul into safeguarding historical heritage for future generations. The core task of the non-profit association is to welcome and guide visitors from Belgium and abroad. For this, the association can count on a team of thirty enthusiastic volunteers. The association is also your first point of contact for tailor-made formulas.
