Hasselt

the Heiligegeest gasthuis from 1391 was a housing for the poor

here the council convened

City Hall dates back to around 1550

the orphanage house in the 18th century

the drawbridge sits over the lock in the Dedemsvaart and leads to the city center

they certainly are enjoying the few sun rays

the lime kilns were used until the 1930's and are now a museum

a view over the Buitengracht with one of the lime kilns

the Dedemsvaart has no longer a commercial function

an exposition of medieval weaponry

Hasselt is a small quiet town on the banks of the Zwarte Water, a short river in the IJssel delta.

People lived here over 3000 years ago, but the city's heydays were from 1200 to 1600, when Hasselt, as member of the Hanseatic League, profited from its strategic location between the Zuiderzee and the German hinterland via the IJssel and the Rhine.
Hasselt also became a religious center and today is an important stopover where Jabikspaad and Jacobspad join on the Camino de Santiago.

But over time cities like Kampen, Zwolle and later Amsterdam gradually overtook Hasselt. In 1672 troops of the Bishop of Munster all but destroyed the town and Hasselt never recovered.

A revival occurred after the completion of the Dedemsvaart in 1809.

Hasselt actively preserves and restores its old city center. Of interest are the City Hall, the St Stefanus church, ruins of the city wall, characteristic facades of old houses, and the lime kilns just outside the center.

We strolled into Hasselt's past on a cloudy day in May 2021

a map of the city center is always welcome

Hasselt's harbor at the Zwarte Water river

City Hall is open to the public, but only with an anto Covid-19 mask

remains of the old city wall

the Zwaluw was built in 1857 and was used in the 1950's for a pilot to produce electricity

the seven houses building from 1611 was part of the Heiligegeest gasthuis