Hunsel: Discover Churches, Chapels and Landscapes

If you are considering a stay in Hunsel, you will find a range of points of interest: a church with several historic building phases, a long pilgrimage tradition and a landscape shaped by higher sandy soils, hedgerows and the course of the Uffelse beek. Before your trip, you can decide whether to focus on local history, religious heritage or a route along the water.

Landscape and Grenswaterwandeling 10

The landscape around Hunsel is shaped by higher-lying sandy soils and hedgerows. Another point of interest is the Uffelse beek: the stream is 35 kilometres long and is called Aabeek in Belgium. For long stretches, Grenswaterwandeling 10 follows a grass path, mostly right alongside the freely meandering watercourse. Both the stream and the character of the path are therefore specific features of this route.

The route also passes the Lancaster memorial, which stands on the shore of a pond. The historic event associated with Hunsel is the crash of a British Lancaster bomber, ME 858, on 20 July 1944; all seven crew members were killed. On the route, anyone interested in local history will encounter both the waterside landscape and a connection to the past.

The Sint Jacobus de Meerdere Church

The Sint Jacobus de Meerdere Church in Hunsel stands on the foundations of a medieval church. The present single-nave church dates from 1839. Its earlier history includes an original Romanesque marlstone tower, built around 1300. The church tower was rebuilt in 1951 under the supervision of architect Joseph Franssen. The different dates give the church a layered history: medieval foundations and tower, construction of the present nave in the 19th century, and reconstruction of the tower in the 20th century.

The furnishings also add to this picture of the church. St. Jacobuskerk contains a 16th-century statue of Saint Roch, from the workshop of the Master of Elsloo. The building history and the artwork offer different ways to explore Hunsel’s religious heritage, which is not limited to a single period.

Pilgrimage tradition and chapels

A 2023 church description identifies the Sint Jacobus de Meerdere as an important stop for pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela, a role that, according to the description, has endured for centuries and continues today. Since 2020, the Jacobustuin in front of the church has featured a scallop shell. The garden’s name and the shell symbol are connected to the pilgrimage tradition. Hunsel’s religious heritage also includes several small chapels and old farmhouses.

The Bruggerkapel is dedicated to Mary, or Our Lady of Lourdes. It was built of brick in 1902, using bricks left over from the construction of the bridge over the Uffelse beek. The chapel’s origins are therefore specifically connected to the building materials and the bridge. The Ongerbrögkerkapel is a Marian chapel rebuilt in 2006. According to local tradition, the original chapel was built around 1815 in gratitude for the safe return from Russia of a soldier from Hunsel who had served in Napoleon’s army.

Places of interest nearby

The area around Hunsel also offers historical points of interest. In Haler, at Uffelsestraat 5, you will find the Uffelsemolen, a 19th-century watermill. There is a chapel by the Uffelse beek near the mill. The mill and chapel are places to visit in the Hunsel area and add to the picture of the village’s churches, chapels and landscape.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Buggenum, Kelpen-Oler, Grathem, Heythuysen, Ell, Baexem, Roggel, Ittervoort.

Back to the overview of the region: Leudal.