Pepingen (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Pepingen will restore the Heikruis pillory, dating from the 12th–19th centuries, after a proposal by council member Sander Geerts (LVB). The 4-meter monument will be recognised as heritage.
As VRT News reported, at the request of the opposition party LVB, the municipality of Pepingen, in the province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium, has decided to restore the old Heikruis pillory, one of the few remaining signs of medieval justice in the region.
Yesterday, Oct 21, 2025, the Pepingen city council approved a plan to restore the Heikruis pillory to its former condition. The decision was taken following a proposal from opposition council member Geerts.
“We want residents to rediscover this piece of history,”
Geerts said.
The LVB group also asked the municipality to have the monument recognised as architectural heritage. They called for the area around the structure, including the public park, to be properly maintained and for the town to share historical information through its local communication channels.
What is Pepingen doing to restore the historic Heikruis pillory?
Between the 12th and 19th centuries, pillories stood in many Flemish villages as symbols of public punishment. People who broke the law were chained to these stone or wooden posts for everyone to see. The practice lasted for centuries until 1867, when public punishment was officially removed from the Belgian penal code.
“People who were pilloried usually committed minor crimes,”
says opposition council member and historian Sander Geerts (LVB Pepingen).
“These included petty theft, drunkenness, or insulting God.”
Traces of pillories have been found in Bellingen, Pepingen/Kestergat, and Heikruis, but only the lower part of the Heikruis structure has been preserved. Historical records indicate that the original pillar was approximately 4 meters high and featured a gilded banner bearing the coat of arms of the Duke of Arenberg.
The Heikruis pillory once stood on Gemeenteplein, next to the church of Heikruis. In 1930, a fire destroyed the church, and the square was later redesigned. During the redevelopment, the pillory was moved to its current place beside the chapel of St. Job, on the corner of Neerstraat and Mortagnestraat.
