Asse, Mollem and Hamme

Asse is a historic place, which was probably already inhabited by the Nerviers, a Belgian tribe who lived in the north of France and the south of Belgium at the time of the conquest by Julius Caesar. Numerous archaeological finds have also been made, which indicate that an important Roman village was located here; for example, remains of a pottery workshop have been found, with well-preserved remnants of ovens, misfires and an outbuilding. Part of a Roman road has even been exposed, which can still be seen in part in the entrance of the Asse police station. Asse was therefore an important place - in the time of the Normans (ca.900) an important castle would have been located here. Asse was at the crossroads of trade routes and was an important military-strategic hub, as a result of which it was regularly occupied and burned by invading armies over the centuries. Nevertheless, many beautiful places have been preserved, such as the Sint-Martinuskerk, the oldest parts of which date back to the 13th century. The 17th century Oud Gasthuis was largely restored a few years ago and is now part of the cultural center of Asse. The valuable authentic cuisine has been preserved. Be sure to take a look at the Markt with a few beautiful buildings from the eighteenth century and pay attention to the statue of the Hopduvel, the symbol for the storm wind that goes wild at the end of August and smacks the hop vines to the ground. Not so good for the beer brewers who were traditionally located here. In the meantime, hop cultivation in this region has almost completely disappeared from the region, but the Hopduvel still watches here - with a Duvel glass in hand, which is filled every year on the eve of the hopduvel festivities. Further on you cycle along the beautiful Molenbeek to the protected village of Mollem. The mill stream is not called that for nothing, you will still find water mills here such as the Ichelgemmolen and the Neerkammolen. Each and every one of them are nice places to get off before cycling back to the starting point.