Category: <span>Giants</span>

Jan Soldaat (Soldier Jan)

In the year 1926, the 11th Line Regiment, which was located in the barracks of Leopoldsburg, celebrated for the first time the end of the camp period together with the locals. This party ended with a folkloric and satirical puppet parade that made fun of local conditions and people. In…

The witch of Konterket

Around 1835, the ‘Korteketenbrug’ (Korteketenbridge) across the Grote Beek (Big Brook) was often used to transport materials for the construction of Camp Beverlo. French speakers corrupted the name of the bridge to Pont-Contrequette, Flemish to Konterket. On the south side of this bridge, however, a notorious neighbourhood developed, with many…

Sooike

About five years after the marriage of Jan Soldaat and Mie Katoen, according to the legend, Mie Katoen gave birth to a big son, who got the name Sooike. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Camp Beverlo, the 8th Engineer Battalion donated the giant “Sooike” to the party…

The Heikapper (heath cutter)

A “Heikapper” was someone who cut sods on the Lange Heuvelheide, the extensive heathland on the military domain of Camp Beverlo. These sods were mainly used as fuel, as fertilizer or as roofing material. The Heikapper symbolizes the many poor heikappers of Heppen who worked the heath in the past…

Mie Katoen (Mie Coton)

Mie Katoen was saleswoman of fabrics (buying and selling rags), hence her name. Jan Soldaat fell in love with Mie. He left his bachelor life behind and married her. It can be said of Mie Katoen that her anthem song is more famous than the giant herself. A lot of…