Get in
By train
Hasselt is an IC station.
Train information: Hasselt NMBS STation, Tel. +32 11 29 60 00 or www.nmbs.be.
The station has an information office.
By Bus
Good connections link Hasselt to all municipalities in Limburg and Maastricht.
Bus information: De Lijn Limburg, Tel. +32 70 22 02 00.
De Lijn has a shop at the Station Square.
By car
Hasselt and its car parks are easily accessible by motorways E313 (exits 27 - 28 - 29) and E314 (exit 29).
Get around
Public transport by bus is free in Hasselt.
See
Hasselt is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital of the Flemish province of Limburg. The Hasselt municipality includes the city of Hasselt and the old communes of Sint-Lambrechts-Herk, Wimmertingen, Kermt, Spalbeek, Kuringen, Stokrooie, Stevoort and Runkst.
On January 1st, 2006 Hasselt had a total population of 70,035 (48.8% male and 51.2% female). Hasselt is located at the Demer river and is also connected to the Albert Canal. Hasselt is located in between the Campine and Hesbaye regions in the middle of 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 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.
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. 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.
Public transport
Hasselt made Public transport by bus free of charge from July 1, 1997 after increasing bus services substantially, which made expensive investments in streets and parking facilities unnecessary.
Hasselt was the first city in the world that had entirely zero-fare bus services on the whole of its territory.
The centre
The town centre of Hasselt is not large but very sociable. The centre is almost car-free and contains a number of historical buildings. Among the oldest buildings in the town centre are the Cathedral (12th to 18th C.) and the ''Herckenrode Abbey refuge house" (1542). The "Grote Markt" (large central market square) and the nearby streets are lined with pubs, restaurants and taverns.
The Demerstraat and the Koning Albertstraat are the most important shopping streets. In the Kapelstraat and the Hoogstraat are expensive shops with the most famous brands. The major religious buildings are the St. Quentin's Cathedral and the Virga Jesse Basilica. In 2003, the centre was given a new boost with the renovation of the TT-towers and a new shopping mall. In 2004, Hasselt was the first Belgian city to receive the title "most sociable city of Flanders"; and Hasselt is also taken as an exemplary city for good facilities for pedestrians in the centre.
Monuments, parks and public fields
Museums
Famous inhabitants
Events
Twin and partner cities
See also
External links
