Mechelen is located in the Flemish Region/Flanders in the northern part of Belgium, about 30 minutes south of Antwerp. I hadn’t visited Mechelen since last May and in this time, Bruno and his Concrete Dreams crew have been using Mechelen as a testing ground for new techniques, obstacles and features that they can then implement in a variety of skateparks they’re building around Belgium. Therefore, Mechelen has a little bit of everything: a bowl, a concrete miniramp, ledges, pyramids, speed bumps, tables, corners, a loveseat, a tombstone door for the daredevils to attempt, and a skateable perimeter speed line that goes around the outside of about half the park.
CLICK to ENLARGE Panorama of the recent additions to Mechelen
I definitely would not say Mechelen is the easiest park to skate, as it is a mix of street and transition skating – not just a bowl you can drop into and figure out your line in ten minutes. Mechelen is a skatepark not just for transition dudes, but also for street skaters, but best suited for those skilled in both ‘disciplines’. Take for example the video below of Hans Claessens made by Mechelen local Ralf Goossens. Hans uses every inch of the skatepark and mixes his street and transition skills at a spot that is not only built to grind but also built for pumping around at high speeds, wallriding, transferring and blasting off every bump and obstacle in your path.
Photos: Steven De Wachter & J. Hay
Words: Jonathan Hay
Older photos of Mechelen from 2011 and 2010:
Videos by Ralf Goossens:
Hans Claessens:
Laurenz Coninx, Mikkjel Dolferus, Maarten de Ryck, Yannick van Win and Jarne Verbruggen:
For 2011 tour of Antwerp/Mechelen with Hoax mfg clothing check out:
http://hoaxmfg.com/blog/2011/09/22/hoax-euro-tour-antwerp-belgium-%E2%80%93-may-19th/
For 2010 tour of Belgium with Impakt Skateboards check out:
https://www.confuzine.com/2010/07/06/impakt-skateboards-belgium-tour/