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Hasselt is a city and municipality in Belgium, capital of the province of Belgian Limburg. On January 1st, 2006 Hasselt had a total population of 70,035 (48.8% male and 51.2% female). The total area is 102.24 km which gives a population density of 685 ... more »
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Hotels Hasselt is a city and municipality in Belgium, capital of the province of Belgian Limburg. On January 1st, 2006 Hasselt had a total population of 70,035 (48.8% male and 51.2% female). The total area is 102.24 km² which gives a population density of 685 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 the Euregion Meuse-Rhine.
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 was the first Belgian city to gain the title "most sociable city of Flanders"; and Hasselt is also taken as an examplary city for good facilities for pedestrians in the centre.
Kiewit is the location of the yearly Pukkelpop (Pimplepop) festival, one of Europe's largest alternative music festivals with over a hundred concerts, at the end of August. Rimpelrock (Wrinklerock), a festival with music for people over fifty, is held at the same location.
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.
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