De Oude Toren (Spring)

Spring - stone church

Archaeological research elsewhere in De Kempen shows that settlements gradually move from the higher to the lower grounds in the twelfth century. The same happens in Oostelbeers. 
The various hamlets merge to become the present-day village centre, the new heart of the community in the centuries that follow. The location of the church and its graveyard continues to be central for the various hamlets. During the course of the fourteenth century, a stone church replaces its wooden predecessor.  Building archaeological research shows that a tower is built on the west side in this century too.

Caption: Zaaien op het land, Antonie Wierix (possibly), 1565 - before 1604 (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam).