Hasselt

Hasselt is the capital of Belgian Limburg, a compact city inside a ring road on the line of the old walls, and it makes its case through a group of specific museums rather than a historic centre. The National Genever Museum occupies a former distillery and covers the juniper spirit that the region produced in quantity, with working equipment and a tasting. The Fashion Museum holds Belgian and international design. The Japanese Garden, laid out with the sister city of Itami and covering two and a half hectares, is among the largest of its kind in Europe. The city also has a strong retail and eating culture and functions as the base for the Limburg cycle network, which is one of the densest in Europe.

History

Hasselt grew up around the 7th century on the Helbeek, a tributary of the Demer, its name from the Germanic Hasaluth, hazel, and it is first named in a document of 1165. Count Arnold IV of Loon gave it the freedoms of Liège in 1232, and it became the largest town of the county, near the count's castle at Kuringen; the county came under the prince-bishops of Liège in 1366 and stayed so until the French annexation of 1794 (Wikipedia, Hasselt).

What you'll find

• The genever museum - a working distillery covering the juniper spirit.
• The Japanese Garden - two and a half hectares laid out with Itami.
• The Fashion Museum - Belgian and international design collections.
• The Limburg cycle network - one of the densest node systems in Europe.

When to go

April to October, with the Japanese Garden closed in winter. A day. Museums close on Mondays. Cherry blossom in the garden falls in April and is the busiest week.

Practical notes

The historic centre is small and largely rebuilt, so the city is about its museums rather than its fabric. The Japanese Garden is seasonal and small compared with the claim. Interpretation is mainly in Dutch. Genever tasting is included but limited.

Nearby

Bokrijk and the cycling routes are north; Genk and the Hoge Kempen lie east.

Key facts