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48-730: Hasselt ( Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɦɑsəlt] , Limburgish: [ˈɦɑsəlt] , French: [asɛlt] ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg in the Flemish Region of Belgium . As of 1 August 2023, Hasselt had a total population of 80,846. The old town of Hasselt is surrounded by a number of satellite hamlets including Kiewit , Runkst, Banneuxwijk, Godsheide and Rapertingen. Further away are several sub-municipalities which were once within independent municipalities, including Kermt , Kuringen , Sint-Lambrechts-Herk , Spalbeek , Stevoort , Stokrooie , and Wimmertingen . Geographically, Hasselt

96-477: A monastery, and two collegiate churches, he inaugurated in his diocese an era of great artistic activity known as Mosan art . All these bishops, until the end of the Middle Ages , continued to call themselves bishops of the church of Tongeren, or sometimes bishops of Tongeren-Maastricht or Tongeren-Liège, Tongeren in this case referring to the old civitas of Tongeren, rather than the town. The original dioceses of

144-579: A number of historical buildings. Among the oldest buildings in the town centre are the St. Quentin's Cathedral (11th to 18th centuries) and the Refuge of Herkenrode Abbey , the city's oldest civic building (1542). The Grote Markt (Grand Market) and the nearby streets are lined with restaurants brasseries, cafes and taverns. The Demerstraat and the Koning Albertstraat are the most important shopping streets, while

192-550: Is St. Quentin's Cathedral . Hasselt also consists of about 30 parishes. Next to the Catholic Church, Hasselt houses both a Moroccan and Turkish mosque as both communities are well-established in the city and the surrounding municipalities. Hasselt brands itself as the "Capital of Taste", owing to its local distilleries of Jenever , the Hasselt Jenever Festival, Hasselt speculaas , and chocolate production. Hasselt

240-414: Is also one of the city's largest employers, generating a turnover of €744 million. The city also provides an ecosystem for start-ups, scale-ups, and major companies through its Corda Campus , surrounded by government organizations and research institutions. Currently, 5,000 people work in 250 companies over a land area of 9 acres, formerly being occupied by Philips . By 2030, an investment of €150 million at

288-580: Is celebrated by the Irish poet Sedulius Scottus . Stephen (908–920), Richaire (920–945), Hugh (945–947), Farabert (947–958) and Rathier were promoted from the cloister school. To Stephen, a writer and composer, the Catholic Church is indebted for the feast and the Office of the Blessed Trinity . Ratherius absorbed all the learning of his time. Heraclius, who occupied the see in 959, built four new parish churches,

336-569: Is famous for its gin, locally known as Jenever . Even though the spirit is produced across the entire country of Belgium, Hasselt Jenever became famous when the city escaped the 1601 ban on the sale and production of the beverage imposed by Albert VII, Archduke of Austria and Isabella Clara Eugenia , both Archduke and Archduchess of the Habsburg Netherlands , because it belonged to the Prince-Bishopric of Liège . Dutch troops stationed in

384-1042: Is located between the Campine region, north of the Demer river, and the Hesbaye region, to the south. Both the Demer river and the Albert Canal run through the municipality. In terms of economic regions, Hasselt is within the transnational Meuse-Rhine Euroregion , connecting neighbouring regions in Wallonia , the Netherlands and Germany . [REDACTED] County of Loon 1165–1366 [REDACTED] Prince-Bishopric of Liège 1366–1789 [REDACTED] Republic of Liège 1789–1791 [REDACTED] Prince-Bishopric of Liège 1791–1795 [REDACTED] French Republic 1795–1804 [REDACTED] French Empire 1804–1815 [REDACTED] Kingdom of

432-647: The European route E313 ( Antwerp - Liège ) and the European route E314 ( Brussels - Aachen ). The old town of Hasselt is enclosed by 2 ring roads . The outer ring road serves to keep traffic out of the city center and main residential areas. The inner ring road, the Green Boulevard , serves to keep traffic out of the commercial center, which is almost entirely a pedestrian area. There are also important traffic arteries to Tongeren , Sint-Truiden , Genk , and Diest . The city lies within approximately an hour's drive from

480-482: The Middle Ages , towns had defined privileges over surrounding villages. As the nobility strengthened their power over regions in feudal Europe, they bestowed on towns the rights to organize annual fairs, levy tolls or build walls and other defense works. Under the French occupation of Belgian provinces, these privileges were abolished and replaced by an honorific title of city (Dutch: stad , French: ville ). This

528-659: The see of the bishopric to Maastricht. The conversion of the Franks continued under Falco (around 500 AD) and continued under Saint Domitian , Saint Monulphus and Saint Gondulphus (6th/7th centuries). Monulphus built a church over the grave of Saint Servatius in Maastricht, which later became the Basilica of Saint Servatius . During the whole of the seventh century the bishops had to struggle against paganism and opposition. St Amandus (647–650) and St Remaclus (650–660) even abandoned

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576-649: The 19th century with most distilleries being located in Hasselt. However, increase in excise duty, competition from cheap industrial alcohol, the confiscation of copper stills by the Germans during World War I, and the Vandervelde law against alcohol abuse caused most distilleries in Hasselt to disappear or to be taken over by larger competitors. By the early 21st century, Hasselt only housed two distilleries (known as 'stokerij' in Dutch):

624-500: The Belgian province of Limburg. In ecclesiastical terms, Belgian Limburg became an independent entity from the Diocese of Liège only in 1967, and Hasselt became the seat of the new Diocese of Hasselt . In 1977, Hasselt merged with several surrounding municipalities attaching the current sub-municipalities of Kermt , Kuringen , Sint-Lambrechts-Herk , Stevoort and Wimmertingen . Since

672-532: The Belgium's top professional basketball teams. The team plays its home games at Sporthal Alverberg . The city's largest football club is Sporting Hasselt , which plays its home games at Stedelijk Sportstadion Hasselt . The city's rugby club is RC Hasselt . City status in Belgium City status in Belgium is granted to a select group of municipalities by a royal decree or by an act of law. During

720-527: The Hasselt speculaas -, which was soon exported to Brussels and to Liège, among others. Until the Second World War , Hasselt speculaas was only baked around Saint Nicholas Day , since then it has been sold throughout the entire year. Since the early 2000s, Hasselt has been known within Flanders for its distinctive and sometimes outspoken branding as a city. In 2002, former mayor, Steve Stevaert , introduced

768-570: The Kapelstraat and Hoogstraat house upscale shops and brands. Another major religious building besides the cathedral is the Virga Jesse Basilica . The churches must cede domination of the skyline of the city to the modern twin towers of the TT-wijk (TT Quarter), however. In 2003, the renovation of this complex, now including a shopping mall and a hotel, gave the centre a new boost. In 2004, Hasselt

816-611: The National Jenever Museum and Stokerij Wissels, which was later bought by the larger Stokerij Fryns, based in Ghent , which resumed Jenever production on the former Wissels grounds under the Fryns name. Today, three Jenever distilleries operate in Hasselt: the National Jenever Museum, Stokerij Fryns, and Stokerij Vanderlinden, founded in 2017. Every year during the third weekend of October,

864-534: The Netherlands 1815–1830 [REDACTED]   Kingdom of Belgium 1830–present Hasselt was founded in approximately the 7th century on the Helbeek, a tributary of the Demer river. During the Middle Ages it became one of the free cities of the county of Loon (which had borders approximately the same as the current province of Limburg). It was first named in a document in 1165. In 1232 Arnold IV, Count of Loon gave

912-475: The age of 19 travel for free. Hasselt railway station , run by NMBS , is located near the city centre, outside the innermost ring road. InterCity trains link the city to major Belgian centres such as Brussels , Antwerp , Liège , and Leuven , as well as to Brussels Airport . In February 2007, a plan was launched for the construction of an international light rail connection between Hasselt and Maastricht ( Hasselt – Maastricht tramway ). Agreements between

960-482: The airports of Brussels , Liège , Antwerp , Charleroi , Cologne/Bonn , and Düsseldorf . Within a three-hour radius, the major hubs of Paris and Frankfurt can be reached. Small private aircraft can land in Hasselt itself, on the airfield of Kiewit . Hasselt introduced a zero-fare policy for all public buses in 1997. By 2006, the usage of public transport had increased by 800–900% compared to pre-zero-fare numbers. In 2013, bus subsidies were reduced, resulting in

1008-526: The beginning of the 21st century, many urban renewal projects have taken place in the city, including the construction of the Two Towers (TT) neighborhood. From 1 January 2025, the neighboring village of Kortessem will merge into Hasselt, becoming a new sub-municipality. The name Hasselt is derived from the Germanic word Hasaluth which refers to the common hazel . The centre is mostly car-free and contains

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1056-602: The bishopric of Tongeren received autonomous organization. In late antiquity , the centre of administration and religion in the area moved first to Maastricht , and then to Liège. The boundaries were formed, to the North, by the diocese of Utrecht ; to the East, Cologne; to the South, the dioceses of Trier and Reims ; to the West, that of Cambrai . Thus the diocese of Tongeren extended from France, in

1104-639: The capital of the French Department of the Lower Meuse . This comprised not only the area of the modern province of Limburg in Belgium, but also what is now the province of Limburg in the Netherlands. After the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, all of what is now Belgium became part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands . During this time, it was King William I who re-named the Lower Meuse department after

1152-483: The catchphrase "Hasselt Capital of Taste" (Dutch: Hasselt Hoofdstad van de Smaak ), creating a well-known brand image across the Flemish region to promote its touristic attractions, stores and local industries. After 15 years the city decided to rebrand to "Hasselt has it" (Dutch: Hasselt heeft het ). However, the city's old branding remained in use by its citizens and beyond. Five years later, due to this brand recognition,

1200-497: The city and in the neighbouring town of Diepenbeek and, as of 2023, has more than 7,000 students and 1,700 academic, administrative, and technical staff. The university houses 7 faculties, 4 research institutes, 3 research centres, and 3 doctoral schools. In the Times Higher Education ranking of the world's best universities under 50, Hasselt University is ranked 35th out of 605. Hasselt is home to Limburg United , one of

1248-443: The city decided to reverse to the original catchphrase in spoken communication, and use "Hasselt Smaakmaker Spraakmaker" in written communication and visuals. In 2023, a dating platform had selected Hasselt as the Belgian city with the most eligible singles. The city developed a tourism campaign based on this claim, showing diverse couples throughout the city within promotional videos and posters, while also strategically highlighting

1296-475: The city from 1675 to 1681 ensured that Hasselt Jenever, more than any other Belgian jenever, carried aromas of herbs and berries. At the end of the 19th century, dire living conditions among the working population and cheap Jenever prepared from sugar beet molasses led to the annual consumption of 9.5 litres of Jenever (50% vol) per inhabitant of Belgium. Jenever production was the most important industry in Limburg in

1344-585: The city the same freedoms as those enjoyed in Liège. Hasselt became the biggest city in present-day Limburg thanks to its favourable setting, and the proximity of the count's castle at Herkenrode in Kuringen . In 1366 the county of Loon came under the direct rule of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège and remained so until the annexation by France in 1794. During the First French Empire , the city of Maastricht became

1392-498: The claims of the dating platform. The campaign saw the use of a new catchphrase "Hasselt tastes like more" (Dutch: Hasselt smaakt naar meer ), building further on their earlier catchphrase "Hasselt Capital of Taste". With 3,000 employees, the Jessa Hospital in Hasselt is the city's biggest employer with two health care campuses and one logistical campus. Cegeka Group , a European provider of IT solutions, services, and consultancy

1440-589: The diocese lost those parishes (including Maastricht) which were situated in Dutch Limburg , which was no longer part of Belgium; this territory was attached to the Diocese of Roermond . In 1967, the Dutch-speaking parishes of the diocese (including Tongeren) formed the newly erected Diocese of Hasselt , corresponding to Belgian Limburg . From that point, the present territory of the diocese has coincided with Liège Province. The present Diocese of Liège, suffragan to

1488-484: The diocese, the city of Aix-la-Chapelle , which had before belonged to the diocese but now became episcopal see itself , later merged with Cologne but still later restored). In 1818, it lost a certain number of cantons, ceded to Prussia . After the establishment of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands the two provinces of this diocese were renamed as Liège Province and Limburg Province . On 6 May 1838, Mgr Van Bommel divided Liège Province into two deaneries. In 1839,

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1536-486: The episcopal see in discouragement. Both built several monasteries. St Theodard (660–669) died a martyr. St Lambert (669–700) completed the conversion of the pagans in the Ardennes region. He was murdered at Liège around 705. Lambert was regarded as a martyr for his defence of church property against the avarice of the neighbouring lords. His successor, St Hubert of Liège , transferred the body of St Lambert to Liège, which

1584-614: The legendary founder of the Archbishopric of Cologne , Maternus I, or Saint Maternus (Maternus II), who was also bishop of Cologne. Saint Servatius was the first confirmed bishop of Tongeren-Maastricht-Liège, who was referred to in documents as bishop of the Tungri . He died around 384 and was buried outside the Roman castrum in Maastricht . One of his successors, probably in the 6th century, moved

1632-453: The medieval Duchy of Limburg . This Duchy was in fact named after Limbourg on the Vesdre river, now in the Liège province of Belgium, which had never encompassed Hasselt or Maastricht. Belgium split from the Netherlands in 1830, but the status of Limburg was only resolved nine years later in 1839, with the division of Limburg into Belgian and Dutch parts. Hasselt became the provisional capital of

1680-513: The neighbourhood of Chimay , to Stavelot , Aachen , Gladbach , and Venlo , and from the banks of the Semois as far as Ekeren , near Antwerp , to the middle of the Isle of Tholen and beyond Moerdijk , so that it included both Romance and Germanic populations. The boundaries remained virtually unchanged until 1559. Legend has it that the first bishop of Tongeren was Saint Maternus. This may refer to

1728-470: The new alternative might not fulfill the cross-border high-quality public transport needs of the Dutch and Belgian provinces of Limburg. Hasselt has two university colleges: University College PXL and University Colleges Leuven-Limburg (UCLL). These offer courses in healthcare, social work, art, commercial sciences, and teacher training, among others. Hasselt University , established in 1971, operates campuses in

1776-453: The numbers of passengers making use of the planned line as well as opposition from the Hasselt city council regarding the planned route through the city. The Flemish government eventually stopped the project, with various Dutch governments reporting to have spent more than €20 million without any major construction happening. The line has now been proposed to be replaced by a so-called electric trambus system. However, concerns were raised too as

1824-506: The region underwent some adaptations under Habsburg influence in 1559, and then survived further until suppression under the Revolution , and confirmed in 1801 by a Concordat co-signed by Napoléon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII . The new diocese, erected 10 April 1802, included the two départements of Ourte and Meuse-Inférieure , with certain parishes of the département des Forêts (without, among other areas formerly belonging to

1872-412: The reintroduction of fares (60 cents per ride). The city's official website records passenger growth as follows: A Belgian website describes Hasselt identity cards as becoming "like gold in value", because of free bus travel. In 2013, Hasselt cancelled free public transportation due to financial reasons. The operator increased its claim towards the city, which the city could not pay. Now persons up to

1920-509: The relevant governments were reached in June 2008 and December 2011. The line was planned to reduce the current travel time of 61 minutes by bus to only 36 minutes. Construction should have started in 2014, with the line expected to go into service in 2017. The construction eventually was delayed several times due to problems with the Wilhelminabrug in Maastricht, concerns about the profitability and

1968-539: The site is planned to generate employment for 7,500 people in 350 companies on an area of 14 acres. The Compact Cassette and Cassette Recorder were invented by a team of Belgian and Dutch engineers, led by the Lou Ottens , at Philips' Hasselt site in 1963. In 1983, a team of engineers developed one of the first compact disc (CD) devices at Philips Hasselt. Hasselt lies at the junction of important traffic arteries from several directions. The most important motorways are

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2016-460: The title of city between 1982 and 1999. Diocese of Li%C3%A8ge The original diocese was the church equivalent of the Civitas Tungrorum , the capital of which was Tongeren , northwest of Liège , and its borders were probably approximately the same. The bishopric of Tongeren originally formed part of the dioceses of Trier and Cologne . After the first half of the fourth century,

2064-445: The title. Even with Belgian independence (1831-) this list was scarcely changed. After the merging of municipalities throughout Belgium in 1977, some towns had the opportunity to apply for the title of city . The request had to be based on historical facts such as having the title before the French occupation or during the Middle Ages or had to be based on the development of a high population in their urban centres. 44 towns were granted

2112-471: The two-day Hasselt Jenever Festival takes place. It includes, among other elements, musical, dance, and street theatre performances, the Borrelmanneke fountain on Maastricherstraat being transformed from a water fountain into a Jenever fountain for the day and a Waiters' Race through the city center. Hasselt speculaas is a type of speculaas originating from and only produced in Hasselt. It differs from

2160-478: The type of speculaas eaten in the rest of Belgium in its greater thickness, its smaller reliance on spices - which gives it a milder taste -, and in its structure, with a crispy crust and soft, doughy insides. Speculaas was baked in Hasselt as early as the 14th century. According to tradition, Hasselt speculaas was eaten with chilled Jenever. The early 19th century saw the introduction of the Spéculation de Hasselt -

2208-487: Was imposed upon the Belgian provinces by order of the French Convention Nationale on 2 Brumaire Year II (23 October 1793). A number of towns lost their title of city. At the time of Dutch rule and incorporation into the United Kingdom of the Netherlands (1815–1830), some towns recovered their city title. On 30 May 1825, a royal decree was published and included the list of the towns that were granted

2256-505: Was the first city to receive the title "most sociable city in Flanders". In 1977, the merger of Hasselt with several surrounding municipalities added 22.309 inhabitants at the time to its own population of 40.446 inhabitants. As of 1 October 2024, Hasselt had a total population of 81.708 (40.070 men and 41.638 women). Hasselt is the main seat of the Catholic diocese of Hasselt, which covers the entire Belgian province of Limburg. The main church

2304-451: Was then a small settlement, a vicus , named Vicus Leudicus . On his grave Hubert built a chapel ( St. Lambert's Cathedral ) which became the nucleus of the city, and near which the permanent residence of the bishops was established. Agilfrid (765–787) and Gerbald (787–810) were both appointed by Charlemagne . Hartgar built the first episcopal palace. Bishop Franco, who defeated the Normans ,

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