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# Keiem: a polder village with character on the Yser
- URL: https://keiem.be/en/keiem-polder-village-on-the-yser/
- Published: 2026-07-17T08:33:55.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-27T19:53:57.000Z
- Description: Keiem, part of the town of Diksmuide, is a quiet polder village on the river Yser: wide fields, traces of the Great War and a close-knit community.
- Author: Giovanni Vandewaetere
- Tags: About Keiem, #en

In the wide polders of West Flanders lies Keiem, a quiet and charming village that is part of the town of Diksmuide. With its vast fields, scars of history and close-knit community, Keiem is the very image of the authentic Flemish "flat country".

### 🌾 Landscape and atmosphere

Keiem breathes space and calm. The village is surrounded by a typical polder landscape where the horizon is still truly far away:

**Endless horizons:** a paradise for anyone who loves walking and cycling along quiet roads.

**The Yser:** the nearby river not only shapes the landscape, it is also a natural border and a beacon of calm.

**Farming character:** the rhythm of the village has always been set by the seasons and an active farming life.

### 🎖️ A turbulent history

Peaceful as it is today, Keiem has a stormy past. During the First World War the village lay right on the front line:

**Battle of the Yser (October 1914):** Keiem was a strategic bridgehead. Fierce fighting took place here to stop the German advance towards the coast. The village was almost completely destroyed, and in the 1920s it was carefully rebuilt.

### 📍 Highlights and sights

- **St Nicholas' Church (Sint-Niklaaskerk):** a landmark in the flat landscape, rebuilt in a historicising style after its destruction in the Great War.
- [**Kaasmakerij 't Dischhof**](https://keiem.be/en/t-dischhof-cheese-farm/)**:** this authentic farm is known for its artisan polder cheeses, made from raw cow's milk. The perfect place to taste honest local produce, made with passion.
- **'t Kakelend Kippenmuseum:** a unique and lively attraction for young and old, where you can admire many special and purebred farmyard animals in a green, family setting.
- **The calm of the Westhoek:** direct access to beautiful cycling and walking routes along the Yser dyke and through the surrounding *broeken* (low-lying meadows).
- **Close-knit community:** behind the serene facades there is a warm community life, where neighbours still really know and meet each other.

**In short:** Keiem is not a place of hurry and bustle. It is a polder village with character, where the wind has free rein, history remains tangible and the good life goes on at its own pace.

**Read also:** [Kaasmakerij 't Dischhof](https://keiem.be/en/t-dischhof-cheese-farm/) · ['t Kakelend Kippenmuseum](https://keiem.be/en/kakelend-kippenmuseum-zoo/) · [the Keiem weather station](https://keiem.be/en/keiem-weather-station/)