This book tells the story of a forgotten history. When Leopold I took office as the first king of the Belgians, he bought large areas of land in the region around Mol, Postel, Dessel, Retie and Geel, and founded the ‘Royal Domain of the Kempen’. Not coincidentally, the lands he bought – no less than 4500 hectares in total – were all ‘wasteland’: barren heathland and inaccessible wetlands. However, the king had big plans for this area. He would mine the endless sand plains using the most modern forestry, agriculture and irrigation techniques and thus taking the Kempen along with him on the road to prosperity.

Using illuminating map material, the first part of this book presents a biography of the landscape. The second part tells the story of the key figures who were at work on the Royal Domain and drastically reshaped the landscape over a hundred years: the managers, foresters, farmers and local notables. Finally, the third part shows what has become of this unique royal landscape today and what traces the king left behind in the Kempen through a self-willed photo reportage.

This book is only available in Dutch.