Discover Hasselt: Canals, monuments and Hanseatic history

Discover Hasselt through its historic town centre, individual buildings, industrial history and routes. When planning your trip, you can choose between cultural and historical themes, a guided city walk, and longer walking or cycling routes.

Old Town, canals and Hanseatic history

Hasselt’s historic town centre and its defences were designated a protected townscape in 1982. Its historic heritage includes more than 70 state-protected monuments. The medieval street layout is also still clearly visible. One prominent landmark is the Vispoort: the town gate dates from the 14th century and is the only one of the original six gates to have survived.

Another distinctive feature is the canal belt around the historic town centre. It includes the Brouwersgracht, Prinsengracht, Baangracht and Heerengracht. Hasselt was also part of the Hanseatic League, a trading association. The canals and Hanseatic history offer two different ways to explore the town: its historic townscape and its role in trade.

Churches and historic buildings

The Grote of Stephanuskerk has an organ built by Rudolf Knol in 1807. The Grote Kerk is used for concerts, audio recordings and television broadcasts. The Heilige Stede is also part of Hasselt’s religious heritage: this site is formed by the outdoor chapel of the Heilige Stephanus complex. It is associated with the tradition of a pilgrimage on the second Sunday after Pentecost.

The Oude Stadhuis dates from 1550 and houses the Historisch Centrum Hasselt. It contains historic objects, including an old collection of weapons and 17th-century paintings, as well as changing exhibitions. The building therefore combines its own history with collections and exhibitions about Hasselt’s past.

Another religious landmark is Hasselt’s Roman Catholic church. It was built in 1933 as a cruciform church, based on a design by architect G. Th. Ruberg. Its varied dates and architectural styles offer a concrete reason not to limit your exploration of Hasselt’s architecture to the medieval period.

Lime kilns, a windmill and landscape

At De Kalkovens, lime was produced from shells for five centuries, starting in the Middle Ages. The two oldest round kilns date from around 1850 and were built from hand-moulded bricks. The museum next to the kilns contains historical information, images, tools and archival material. The structures and the collection thus offer different insights into the area’s industrial history.

Korenmolen De Zwaluw also has a clearly documented history: this octagonal bovenkruier-type windmill has a brick base, was built in 1867 and has been preserved as a monument. Visitors can learn how grain was milled in the past. The historic town centre and the lime kilns reveal different building and usage histories from those of this windmill.

The Stenendijk is another monument. It is a state-protected monument one kilometre long, and Hasselt’s last surviving brick sea dike; it is also considered the last surviving brick sea defence in the Netherlands. The Van Stolkspark offers a different kind of landscape: this arboretum and nature park has a wide variety of trees and shrubs and was laid out in the English landscape style in the 19th century.

City walk, hike and cycling route

For a time-limited introduction to the town’s history, there is a historic city walk with a guide. It starts at the Oude Stadhuis in the town centre and lasts about an hour and a half. The Bilderpad is a different scale of excursion: this walking route around Hasselt is more than 32 kilometres long and heads towards Zwartsluis. The route’s length and the approximate duration of the guided walk can help you choose between different ways to explore the town during your stay.

A specific cycling route is available too: the Rondje Zwarte Water cycling route is 47.6 kilometres long and can be started in Hasselt. During opening hours, the Toeristisch Informatiepunt (TIP) Hasselt, located in the Oude Stadhuis on the Markt, offers walking and cycling routes in Hasselt and the surrounding area, as well as other tourist information. Check opening hours before visiting. The free Ons-Erfgoed app offers an interactive way to experience Hasselt’s cultural heritage, using images, audio, augmented reality and 3D displays.

Hassailt is also connected with the historic town centre. The event takes place every five years along the quays and canals of the Hanseatic town; individual editions and dates vary. If you would like to plan your trip around a particular event, check the dates for that edition.

Discover more destinations: Zwartsluis, Genemuiden.

Return to the regional travel overview: Zwartewaterland.