Belgian Lumberjack Championship

The Belgian Lumberjack Championship, generally recognized as a landmark in the calendar, takes place traditionally on the 3rd weekend in September. This is an ideal occasion to watch, at first hand, lumberjacks coming from all parts of Belgium as they go about their strength-defying work with unerring precision.

After the eliminating contests on the Saturday in the forest, the brave hewers of wood face each other in the final on Sunday. This guaranteed spectacular showdown takes place in the city center and a detour to watch is well worth the effort. The contest consists of different tests, e.g. tree-felling in the forest, ax throwing, balancing and slicing a tree trunk with a chain saw or wood sculpting.

A true high point in the contest is the final competition where the participants use chain saws for the Laury Bonnivert prize, a wood sculpting competition. The lumberjacks prove themselves as veritable artists by transforming a simple spruce block of wood into a different array of objects in unimaginable forms.