RECEPTION
Monday to Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Outside
EDITORIAL TEAM
Tina Deneyer
Jaël Muls
GRAPHIC DESIGN
WNDR
PHOTOGRAPHY
Toon Debraekeleer
Piet Vranckx
Wannes Cré
De Ambrassade / Sien Verstraeten
André Nullens
Sebastian Strycharsk
Jonge Helden
Noor Jorquera
Luka Trbović
Paula Guardiàn
Destelheide is a centre for youth, art and creativity. We welcome groups who want to learn, work, create or simply take time off together. The centre is located in Dworp, part of the municipality of Beersel, surrounded by nature and yet close to Brussels. The setting helps you focus, collaborate and step away from daily pressure. Many guests experience Destelheide as a place where you naturally catch your breath.
Destelheide primarily works for and with young people and youth organisations, but schools, associations, companies and artists also find their place here. We think along with you, provide support where needed and remain open to new ideas.
Groups staying at Destelheide can also rely on Dharts, our arts education service. Exhibitions, try-outs, workshops with artists and training sessions create a constant artistic dynamic. Dharts brings a creative breeze to Destelheide — inspiring, stimulating and inviting.
Destelheide is a place for creation, encounter and growth. Our DNA expresses what we stand for every day and how we collaborate with anyone who walks through our doors.
We are a warm organisation
Respect and trust are essential to us
We dare to push boundaries and innovate
We bring out the best in ourselves and in one another
We want to inspire and be inspired
We look inward and outward
We are the canvas on which your stay can take colour
Here, you have space to be yourself and grow creatively
We provide support, transparency and flexibility
We are proud of our team and proud of Destelheide
At Destelheide, you stay overnight on site. It makes organising multi-day activities easy — no time lost on commuting. Everything happens in one place: working, creating, connecting and recharging.
We offer several accommodation options. Whether you are a small group or a larger organisation, we work together to find the formula that suits your needs.
Our accommodation is comfortable and practical. It supports what matters most: living together, exchanging
ideas and focusing on your programme. The natural surroundings allow groups to unwind beyond scheduled activities.
Our team is happy to assist with the practical organisation of your stay. From arrival to departure, we ensure a warm welcome so you can focus on what truly matters.
“We’ve tried other places before, but here everything works perfectly for us. The nature, the tranquillity, the infrastructure … it all fits.”
Olivia Declercq, Teacher at Sainte-Ursule Vorst
Destelheide can accommodate up tot 270 people. We offer several sleeping blocks where groups can stay together. Rooms are comfortable and cosy, ideal for youth organisations and schools. Accommodation is in double or four-person rooms. A number of rooms are accessible by wheelchair.
Each room has private sanitary facilities. Bed linen is included. After a full day of activities, your sleeping block offers the perfect place to relax together in the heart of the green domain.
“The rooms are beautiful, the rooftop terrace is fantastic and the common areas on each floor where we can hang out in the evening are really great. In the afternoon we can safely let our young participants play on the grounds. It truly feels like our own place.”
Jozefien Grossen, Musicalia Asse
The pavilion De Zevenbron is nestled among the trees and offers a more intimate setting. It is ideal for groups who want to combine accommodation with meetings or reflection in a peaceful atmosphere.
De Zevenbron has 8 rooms (maximum 16 people), each with two beds and a private bathroom with shower and sink. One room is accessible by wheelchair. The pavilion also features a meeting room with a large screen and a terrace surrounded by trees.
De Slekke – privacy and comfort
Looking for extra tranquillity and privacy?
De Slekke is a separate pavilion combining comfort with privacy. It offers 8 double rooms, each with private bathroom facilities. De Slekke also includes a meeting room, a lounge area and a terrace with chairs and parasols.
At Destelheide, you stay on full-board basis. You can count on fresh, balanced meals tailored to groups staying several days and actively engaged in their programme. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are prepared by our in-house catering team and served in the on-site restaurant.
We take specific dietary requirements into account, including vegetarian, vegan, halal and allergies. We always look for solutions that work for everyone.
Alternative options such as barbecues, sandwich lunches or adapted meals for intensive programmes are also possible.
Sharing meals is part of sharing your stay. At Destelheide, meals are more than practical moments. They are moments of encounter, conversation and connection.
Destelheide’s kitchen holds the Smiley label from the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain. This means our kitchen is continuously monitored and complies with all hygiene and food safety standards.
Expo
Main building
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Visual Arts building
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Music building
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Block L - De Zevenbron
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L H M I J
Caretaker
Dharts, our arts education service, creates an inspiring environment where creative activities and interaction can flourish between groups, disciplines and ideas, in a playful and accessible way.
“The Winter Academy was the most special working week of my life. What we shared there now finds its way into my work. Thank you for giving us the space to play and dare.”
Ine Muys, Storyteller and artist
Dharts stimulates visitors through encounters with Artists in Residence and through exposure to contemporary art throughout the buildings and grounds. This creative breeze encourages young people to engage creatively themselves.
Dharts also organises artistic trajectories and training programmes, including the Summer and Winter Academy (in collaboration with De Veerman), masterclasses with professionals from various disciplines, and more.
Each year, Destelheide hosts at least three exhibitions. These bring young people into contact with art as both creators and audiences. Exhibitions invite reflection, discovery and dialogue. The expos can be visited individually or with your group, with optional interactive guided tours, free of charge and tailored to your audience.
Get in touch with Dharts and find out what’s possible.
Throughout the year, Dharts invites (semi-)professional theatre, dance and music companies, as well as visual artists, to work at Destelheide as Artists in Residence.
Through try-outs, encounters and tailored workshops, artists enter into informal and accessible dialogue with resident groups.
Are you a performing artist looking for rehearsal space? Or a visual artist in need of a studio? Contact Dharts for information and conditions.
Are you staying at Destelheide? You may have the opportunity to attend a free try-out during your stay. Feel free to ask at the reception.
“It was incredibly valuable to show our work briefly to our target audience here. It allows us to adjust early in the process if needed.”
Charlotte Wellens, Theatre company Collectief Verlof
“The try-out we attended thanks to Dharts was both rich and accessible — exactly what our students needed to discover theatre and start creating themselves.”
An Meermans, Lecturer UCLL
“To write a script, you sometimes need to stare out of a window for four hours and hope something lands in your head. That works much better here than at home.”
Fernando Vandekeybus, Film maker
Destelheide offers ideal infrastructure for all kinds of activities. The buildings are spread across the domain, allowing you to shape your ideas freely and in peace.
“The setting here is perfect. We have plenty of space to dance and we’re close to Brussels. Our dancers can live in a bubble for several days — something impossible in the city.”
The main building forms the heart of Destelheide. On the upper floor, you will find five fully equipped meeting rooms, suitable for workshops, group sessions or reflection moments. On the ground floor, there is the multifunctional theatre hall De Put, with tiered seating for 200 people, as well as the Paul Felix hall, the cafeteria, the luggage storage area, the reception and offices. The lower level houses a large hall of 250 square metres, six smaller rooms and dressing rooms.
“Your creative space is truly unique.”
Municipal youth service Dilbeek
The visual arts building was specifically designed for visual arts activities. It contains four studios that offer the ideal conditions for working with different materials and techniques. To prevent shadows on your work, natural daylight mainly enters through the north-facing windows, while a canopy shields the south side from direct sunlight. Three of the studios are equipped with sinks, and there is even a covered outdoor studio, allowing groups to work outside while remaining sheltered.
The music building offers ideal facilities for dance and music. It includes a professional dance studio with a floating floor installed on resilient insulation material, ensuring comfort and acoustic quality. In the fully equipped music room, musicians, professional ensembles and organisations working with or around sound can fully develop their projects. The recording studio is equipped with the necessary tools for sound recordings and music production.
Curious about the full offer? Discover all rooms and spaces on our website.
Together with our sister domains Hanenbos and de Hoge Rielen, Destelheide strongly invests in international youth work. We create opportunities for young people and volunteers to gain international experience in a creative and inspiring environment.
“By working together on human rights and getting to know each other’s customs, we truly grew closer. StudioStar felt like a free and open space where I could express myself without judgment. You could simply be yourself here and that was an amazing feeling.”
Dimi (19), Greek StudioStar participant
In 2016, Destelheide became the first centre in Belgium to receive the Quality Label for Youth Centres from the Council of Europe. This European label is awarded to centres that actively promote youth work and non-formal learning. As a labelled centre, we actively contribute to themes such as democracy, children’s rights and human rights, not only in our projects, but also in the way we organise our daily work and welcome groups.
Through Erasmus+ Youth Exchanges, Destelheide, Hanenbos and de Hoge Rielen bring together groups of young people from different countries around a theme, with art and creative activities as a starting point. Young participants exchange ideas and experiences. They discover each other’s cultures in a informal way.
In this way, Destelheide encourages young people to broaden their horizons, develop their creativity and engage internationally.
As part of our international engagement, Destelheide has welcomed European volunteers every year since 2017.
Through the European Solidarity Corps, young people from across Europe gain valuable experience within their field of expertise while living and working in Belgium. They explore the country, learn the language and meet people from different cultural backgrounds.
“The ESC project at Destelheide and Hanenbos gave me exactly what I was looking for at this stage of my life: new creative adventures, exploring different cultures and the space to grow and become more independent.”
Amuka Koridze, ESC volunteer
CONTACT
Hanenbos
Lotsesteenweg 103
1653 Dworp 02 380 47 13
At our sister site Hanenbos, a centre for youth, nature and adventure, you stay in complete tranquillity, surrounded by forest, in Dworp (Beersel). Here, you can truly get away from it all, far from school, work or home. Hanenbos offers accommodation in simple yet comfortable rooms, tasty meals, relaxation and all the facilities you need for your forest classes, camps, internships, meetings or events.
All info at www.hanenbos.be
You are also warmly welcomed at our sister site de Hoge Rielen. This centre for youth, nature and adventure is a place where groups come together to experience, create, play or simply escape the pace of everyday life. The domain is located near Kasterlee, in the province of Antwerp. Whether you visit for a multi-day group stay, outdoor classes, a youth camp, a family weekend or a day trip, you will find everything you need on this vast natural site. From accommodation buildings and camping grounds to a hostel, restaurant, sports facilities, a swimming pond, an adventure course and a wide range of activities. It is a green oasis of 230 hectares where nature, freedom and experience take centre stage. From the moment you arrive, you can feel it: this is a place where you naturally slow down. A place where you can truly breathe.
All info at www.dehogerielen.be
The rate you pay and how far in advance you can make a reservation depend on the category to which your group belongs.
CATEGORY 1
recognised youth organisations and Artists in Residence Groups officially recognised as youth organisations by a local (municipal), provincial or Flemish authority. Destelheide may request official proof of recognition.
EXAMPLES:
• A youth organisation organises a training course for youth leaders at Destelheide
• A theatre company stays at Destelheide as Artist in Residence and works intensively on a new production for one week
Reservation period: up to 3 years in advance
CATEGORY 2
other Belgian youth Groups, Belgian school groups and care groups
EXAMPLES:
• Students of Educational Sciences from a university college come to Destelheide for a twoday introductory programme at the start of the academic year
• Final-year secondary school students visit Destelheide as part of their orientation programme for future studies
Reservation period: up to 2.5 years in advance
Not sure which category your group belongs to? Our reception team will be happy to assist you.
CATEGORY 3
international youth groups and schools, and Belgian socio-cultural organisations
EXAMPLES:
• A football club from Eindhoven participates in an international youth tournament in Halle and stays at Destelheide�
• An orchestra organises a rehearsal weekend at Destelheide in preparation for its annual concert�
Reservation period: up to 2 years in advance
CATEGORY 4
families, adult groups and companies (VAT applies to this category)
EXAMPLES:
• A group of university friends meets each spring for a reunion weekend at Destelheide�
• An accounting firm organises an information session for clients about digital invoicing
Reservation period: up to 1.5 years in advance
At any time www.destelheide.be info@destelheide.be
During reception opening hours Monday to Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Destelheidestraat 66 1653 Dworp +32 2 380 39 15
Take the train to Halle. From Halle station, a bus will take you to Dworp. Check www.delijn.be to see the lines and timetables. Get off at the stop ‘Dworp Destelheide’. Walk up the Panoramastraat and turn left into the Destelheidestraat.
By bus
Coming by bus? The driver can drop everyone off at the entrance of the site.
By car
Coming by car? You can park at the entrance of our site. You can also easily share a ride on our carpool platform — better for the environment and more enjoyable!
Destelheidestraat 66 1653 Dworp
+32 2 380 39 15
info@destelheide.be www.destelheide.be destelheide destelheide_ Centre for youth, art and creation
together with Hanenbos and de Hoge Rielen, is managed on behalf of the Flemish Government by the non-profit organisation Algemene Dienst voor Jeugdtoerisme. R.P. Guy Uyttebroeck, Destelheidestraat 66, 1653 Dworp