Hasselt - Surprise Destination

Ever heard of Hasselt, Belgium? I've seen the signs when I drove to the Brussels airport but never really heard or read anything about the town. It is never mentioned in travel brochures, at least I have never seen it in one. But I went for a long (for me) bike ride from Lanaken to Hasselt along the Albert Canal a couple days ago and got a quick look around the city.

 

 You can look at my pictures from the ride at this LINK.Ignore me in the photos. These pictures were for my family.

Hasselt approx. 1771-1775

Hasselt was founded in approximately the 7th century on the Helbeek, a small tributary of the Demer river. The name Hasselt came from Hasaluth, which means hazel wood. During the Middle Ages, it became one of the bigger towns of the county of Loon, which had borders approximately the same as the current province of Limburg. Hasselt was first named in a document in 1165 and shortly thereafter received the much sought-after city charter. In 1232 this status was officially confirmed by count Arnold IV. Even though the city of Borgloon was the original official capital of Loon, Hasselt was to become the biggest city thanks to its favourable setting and to the proximity of the count’s castle and the Herkenrode Abbey in Kuringen. In 1366 the county of Loon became part of the Bishopric of Liège and remained so until the annexation by France in 1794.

During the First French Empire, after the French revolution, Maastricht became the capital of the area that was then called the French Department of the Lower Meuse. This included both modern Belgian Limburg, and also neighboring Dutch Limburg. After the defeat of Napoleon, in 1815, this whole area became part of a new United Kingdom of the Netherlands, and it was at this time that the name Limburg was adopted. King William wanted to keep the name of the old Duchy of Limburg alive although it had been centered in Limburg on the Vesdre, and had never encompassed Hasselt. Even when Belgium gained its independence from the Netherlands in 1830, and the province of Limburg was definitively split between the Netherlands and Belgium in 1839, this name was retained and the name Loon disappeared. After the split, Hasselt became the provisional capital of the Belgian province of Limburg. When Maastricht stayed Dutch in 1839, it became the permanent seat of its provincial government within the Netherlands, also called Limburg. In 1967, Belgian Limburg was detached from the Diocese of Liège and Hasselt became the seat of the Diocese of Hasselt.

Hassault is in the Dutch speaking half of Belgium. Not to bad-mouth the other half but you will quickly figure out that the lower half of Belgium, (the French speaking "Walloons"), is run down, dingy, dirty, and poorly maintained. It is unfortunate but you cannot deny the facts. Hassault is a very clean and well-maintained city. It has a large, pedestrian friendly shopping district. Most of the streets are closed to vehicles during the shopping hours.

I couldn't imagine ever needing to use public transportation, the city isn't huge, but if you do you might find this interesting: Hasselt made Public transport by bus zero-fare from 1 July 1997.  The transport network here is mainly by bus. All buses leave from the station. The town lines (called H-lijn) have been free for everyone including tourists since Tuesday 1 July 1997. Other bus lines are free for the inhabitants of Hasselt while traveling in the territory of Hassault.

The local H-lijn buses on the town lines carry an H on their number on the electronic destination sign above the windshield. The regional transport services, or so-called Red lines, are free for residents of Hasselt, who can travel without fare as long as they show their identity card to the driver of the bus. Red regional route bus stops are marked with signs indicating the beginning or end of the Hasselt bus network. Non-residents of Hasselt pay the usual area tariff, except for children under 12 who have zero-fare travel. "Blue" regional lines incur a fare in the normal way.

I walked, pushing my bike, and was easily able to see the entire shopping district within the ring road on foot. There is a train line from Maastricht to Hasselt if you wanted to avoid the drive and parking fees and in that case jumping on a bus would be convenient.

I only walked around for about 30-40 minutes because I had a long ride back to where I started from. I was very impressed with what I saw. The shopping district was larger than I expected. I went in the one church and it was really nice. The stores were closed, it was Sunday, but most of the cafes and restaurants were open and busy. The place was clean and I have to think it is very safe since there are surveillance cameras everywhere.

Do you like Gin (the drink, not the card game)? Hasselt hosts "The National Jenever (gin) Museum". 

Hasselt and gin... inseperable. Discover the secrets of this strong-bodied drink in the National Genever Museum. See how this celebrated liquor is prepared in this authentic 19th century distillery. And taste the final result. Bet you'll find it delicious...

Opening hours
- Open from the 1st April  until 31st October: Tuesday to Sunday from 10.00 to 17.00
- Open from the 1st November until 31st March: Tuesday to Friday from 10.00 to 17.00. Saturday and Sunday from 13.00 to 17.00
- Closed: every Monday, the 1st January, from 9th until 31st January, the 24th, 25th and 31st December 2012.

Price
individual visitors:                 € 4,50 p.p. (including a drink)
12 to 26 years:                     € 1 p.p.
children under 12 years:       free
groups (at least 15 people)  € 3,50 p.p.

Useful to know
Dogs are not allowed

Tip
Heading along your route just for the gin called 'jenever'? Combine a visit to the National Jenever Museum with a city walk. You can obtain the jenever museum brochure at Tourism Hasselt for € 5 p.p., entrance to the museum and a drink included.

National Genever Museum
Witte Nonnenstraat 19
3500 Hasselt

Do you like clothes and fashion?  Are you a dedicated follower of fashion? Then the Fashion Museum in Hasselt is something for you! Come and visit the exhibitions around fashion – then, now and in the future.

OPENING HOURS
Open every day from 10 AM to 5 PM, except on Mondays and:
• Sunday January 1st, 2012;
• Monday the 24th, Tuesday the 25th and Monday the 31st of December 2012;
• from Monday January 9 to Friday February 3, 2012 and from Monday May 28 to Friday June 22, 2012 (preparation of the exhibition).

PRICE
€ 5 p.p.
€ 2 p.p. students from 13 to 18 (children under 12 years free)
€ 4 p.p. for groups of at least 15 people.

Fashion Museum of Hasselt 
Gasthuisstraat 11
BE-3500 Hasselt

Carillon Tower:
You'll find the carillon right in the city centre, high in the tower of the Sint-Quintinus Cathedral. It takes a little effort to climb the stairs, but the breathtaking view from the top is really worth it. It's the ideal place to learn everything about clocks, bells and carillons. It will forever change the way you'll listen to the bells playing during carillon concerts.
 
OPENING HOURS
Opening days and hours: see the website www.hetstadsmus.be


PRICE
€ 1.50 p.p. for individuals and groups of 15 people and more
€ 1 p.p. for schools (> 12 years old), children < 12 years ,free.

GUIDED VISIT
VALID: all year round
DURATION: 1.5 hours
PRICE: € 1.50 p.p. for groups of 15 people and more, < 12 years free
PRICE FOR THE GUIDE: € 60 (2 hours maximum) one guide per 15 people.
RESERVATION: Tourism Hasselt, T +32 11 23 95 42, groepsbezoeken@hasselt.be
Don't forget to reserve at least one month in advance!

TIP
The Carillon is featured regularly with special carillon concerts. More information about these concerts at Tourism Hasselt and on the website www.uitinhasselt.be
 
Carillon tower of the Saint Quinten Cathedral
Vismarkt n/n
BE-3500 Hasselt

Would you like to combine the (historical) beauty of a museum with the natural magnificence of the Japanese Garden? Then the combined card is what you need: for a single low price, you get the best of both worlds!

Four in one!
• The National Genever Museum (including drink)
• The Hasselt Fashion Museum
• The Japanese Garden
• Het Stadsmus (Municipal Museum)

Opening hours
Valid in 2012 during the opening hours of the museums and the Japanese Garden.

Price
€ 12 p.p.

InformationAvailable at Tourism Hasselt, the museums, the Japanese Garden and in many hotels.

* Good to knowIn the closed period of the Japanese Garden (from 1st November until 31 March) the entrance ticket of the garden is replaced by a leaflet with the outlined historical city walk accompanied by a coffee served at the pub Het Tuincafé, next to the municipal museum 'Het Stadsmus'.

Hasselt is only about 40 minutes away from Schinnen and well worth the trip. Give yourself a full day or go back another day to see what you missed. Use this LINK to visit the official website in English.