Aalst (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Since April 2025, archaeologists have uncovered around 2,000 skeletons at Aalst’s Jennemiekeskerkhof. Starting in September 2025, students will have the opportunity to join the excavation workshop led by Alderman Maarten Blomaert and learn about history and science.
According to VRT News, archaeologists have been excavating at the site of Jennemiekeskerkhof in Aalst since April 2025, a former cemetery in which 2,000 skeletons were discovered. The dig is informing experts about the individuals who once lived in the region.
Officials mentioned that the site is important because it gives clues about how those people lived and were buried. A workshop will start in September 2025 for students from all over Flanders. It is mainly for students in the second year of secondary school.
What will students learn at Aalst’s Jennemiekeskerkhof archaeology workshop?
The workshop will be led by a physical anthropologist who studies human bones. Students will get a 2-hour tour of the excavation site. They will see how the archaeologists work and learn about the bones found there.
Experts will explain what the cemetery contained and what it tells us about the past. Alderman Maarten Blomaert said the workshop will help students understand both the theory and the practical side of archaeology.
Students will not be allowed to dig at the Jennemiekeskerkhof site themselves. Alderman Maarten Blomaert said that would be “a bit too much.” Instead, the students will watch the archaeologists as they work. This will let them see the excavation process live and understand how experts carefully uncover the skeletons and objects.
The city of Aalst is also creating a digital education package about physical anthropology and the research data from the site. This tool will be used in school subjects like history, biology, math, and chemistry.
The workshop is funded by a grant from the Agency for Immovable Heritage and will run from mid-September 2025 until January 2026. Schools can book places through the city or the archaeological service Solva. Officials mentioned that the program offers students a practical way to connect lessons with real archaeology and heritage research.
Why was Aalst’s Jennemiekeskerkhof cemetery established outside the city walls?
Until the late 1700s, people in Aalst buried their dead mainly around St. Martin’s Church and in other churches and monasteries in the city centre. In 1784, authorities banned burials inside churches and within the city walls due to hygiene concerns and limited space. This change was part of a wider effort across Europe to improve public health and reduce overcrowding in burial places.
That same year, Aalst’s church council bought land along the Dendermondse Steenweg to create a new cemetery outside the city. Locals called it Zjennemiekeskerkhof, or Jennemieke’s Churchyard, named after Maria-Johanna Meert, thought to be the first person buried there.
Over time, between 30,000 and 40,000 people from Aalst were laid to rest in this cemetery. Jennemiekeskerkhof remained the official burial site until 1867, when a new cemetery opened on Leo de Béthunelaan. This site is now the city’s municipal cemetery.
