Hasselt Capital City of Limburg

Hasselt is a city in Belgium, capital of the province of Belgian Limburg. On January 1st, 2005 Hasselt had a total population of 69,538 (33,896 males and 35,642 females). The total area is 102.24 km² which gives a population density of 680.14 inhabitants per km². Hasselt is located at the Demer river and is also connected to the Albert Canal. Hasselt is located in between the Kempen and Haspengouw regions in the middle of in the Euregion Meuse-Rhine.

History

Hasselt was founded in the 7th century on the Helbeek, a tributary of the Demer river. The name Hasselt came from Hasaluth, which means hazel wood. It was one of the bigger cities of the county of Loon, whose borders were approximately the same as the current province of Limburg. Hasselt was first given a name 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 official capital of this small principality, 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. Maastricht became the capital of the area that was then called the Department of the Lower Meuse. After the defeat of Napoleon and the union with the Netherlands, the name Limburg was adopted, after the old county of Limburg which had never held power over Loon. Even when Belgium gained its independence, this name was retained and the name Loon disappeared. In 1830 Hasselt became the provisional capital of the Belgian province of Limburg. When Maastricht stayed Dutch in 1839, it became the permanent seat of it’s 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.

Transport

Hasselt is a traffic junction of important traffic arteries from all directions. The most important traffic artery is the motorway E313 Antwerp-Liège. Hasselt itself is enclosed by 2 ring roads. The outer ring road serves to keep traffic out of the city centre. The inner ring road, the so-called “Green Boulevard", serves to keep traffic out of the commercial centre, which is an almost entirely pedestrian area. Public transport by bus has been free of charge since 1997. There are also important traffic arteries to Tongeren, Sint-Truiden, Maastricht, Genk, Diest and Eindhoven. You can also visit Hasselt by plane. The city lies relatively near the airport of Brussels, Liège and the Maastricht-Aachen Airport. Private aircraft can land in Hasselt itself, on the airfield of Kiewit.

The centre

The town centre of Hasselt is not large but very sociable. The centre is almost car-free and contains different historical buildings. The oldest building of the city is the Refugehuis of the abbey of Herckenrode. On the large market there are many pubs, restaurants and taverns as well as in the rest of the city.

The Demerstraat and the Koning Albertstraat are the most important shop streets. In the Kapelstraat and the Hoogstraat are expensive shops with the most famous brands. The St. Quentin’s Cathedral and the Virga Jesse Basilica give the centre form. In 2003, the new TT-wijk has given the centre a new boost with a modern shop complex. In 2004, Hasselt got as first Belgian city the title “most sociable city of Flanders"; and Hasselt is also taken as an example city for the good facilities for pedestrians and walkers in the centre.

Monuments, parks and public fields

The St. Quentin’s Cathedral
The Virga Jesse Basilica
The Japanese garden
The abbey of Herckenrode in Kuringen
The Refugehuis of the abbey of Herckenrode
The Airfield of Kiewit
The different historical buildings and museums in the city
The nature field Kiewit
The Kapermolenpark
The town park, to the cultural centre