Viversel, Houthalenberg and Bolderberg

In the middle of the Belgian Kempen, just north of Hasselt, lies the village of Houthalen. Over the years, several archaeological finds have been made in the area and the village itself has a rich history. The parish of Houthalen probably existed before 1223 and is therefore one of the oldest in the area. In the Middle Ages, the village belonged to the domain of the Counts of Loon. The area mainly consists of agricultural land and a beautiful old coal mine from 1938. This region is rich in greenery and the Houthalenberg and the Bolderberg make the landscape quite hilly. It is a tough climb to the top of the approximately sixty-metre high Bolderberg, a witness hill covered with a layer of iron sand, boulders and forests. A large part of the mountain belongs to Kasteel Vogelsanck, while the other part has been set up as a nature reserve by the manager Limburgs Landschap. This area is part of the larger Laambeek valley and covers almost 70 hectares of greenery. Among others, the Gust Claesheide, which is also located on the Bolderberg, is part of this. In the east-west direction, the Bolderberg is still fairly flat and bicycle-friendly, but towards the north, the Bolderberg is steep and conquering the hill becomes a challenge. At the foot of that slope are the ponds of Terlaemen, which belong to Terlaemen Castle. It is difficult to reach the top, but those who persevere will be rewarded with a beautiful view: at the bottom of the steeply sloping hill you will find areas with wet heathland and raised bog. Cotton grass, bog asphodel and bog myrtle grow here and the tree frog lives in the spring water.