Tour of Diest

Diest is a city in Flemish Brabant that is sandwiched between the beautiful nature of the Hageland and the Kempen. This Belgian city is known, among other things, for its historical connection with the house of Nassau and is therefore considered Oranjestad. Philip Willem, the eldest son of Willem van Oranje, is buried there in the Sint-Sulpitiuskerk. Today, King Willem-Alexander still bears the title Baron van Diest. This walk introduces you to the beautiful nature to the east of the city. You walk through the De Halve Maan provincial domain and through the Webbekoms Broek, the flood area for the river Demer. So make sure you have waterproof shoes! You take a wonderfully varied walk through a landscape that offers a mix of hay meadows, grasslands, wet forests and reed beds. This area is home to special bird species, such as the honey buzzard and the bluethroat. You also have a beautiful view of the ramparts of Diest and the green hills of neighboring Belgian Limburg. On the Leopoldsvest you walk over the remains of the Diester ramparts. In 1831, one year after the declaration of Belgian independence, the Dutch King William I tried in vain to reconquer Belgium. To thwart new attacks, a defensive belt was constructed around Diest. The current city walls are remnants of this nineteenth-century belt. A little further on you pass the Petrolpoort from 1837. The two rooms at the front of this embankment opening served as a storage place for gunpowder, which always had to remain dry. Further on is the Schaffensepoort, the last remaining city gate of Diest. Just outside the city you walk through the humid Demer basin. Here the Zwarte Beek, the Velpe, the Begijnenbeek and the Leugebeek flow into the Demer. These tributaries have caused flooding for decades. To counter this, the Flemish government has set up a number of holding basins, areas that can flood in a controlled manner to avoid flooding in other places. In the Webbekoms Broek, the excess water of the Velpe, the Leugebeek and the Begijnenbeek is collected, so that it can flow in a controlled manner via the Zwarte Beek into the Demer. You walk here for a while on a bed that was once part of the railway line Tienen - Diest - Mol. This railway line was taken into use in 1878, but was discontinued in the 1960s. The route continues and takes you through the nature reserve back to the starting point.