Enjoy the area of Zolder

Get to know the mining past of the Belgian Kempen. This route takes you from the former coal mine in Heusden-Zolder through a few characteristic villages, but also through the countryside where fields, grasslands, forests and heathland alternate.

The discovery of coal in Belgian Limburg would profoundly change the appearance in and around Zolder. In this former agricultural region, several village-like neighbourhoods were quickly built in the 1920s and 1930s to accommodate the influx of miners. One of those authentic so-called garden districts on your route is Lindeman.

South of Heusden you will pass Kasteel Meylandt. Originally this building was a large country house whose origins date back to the fourteenth century. In 1715 it was converted into a castle. Since 1972 it has housed an art academy.

Meylandt Castle is located in the catchment area of the Mangelbeek. This stream was straightened at the beginning of the twentieth century on the initiative of Count De Theux de Meylandt who lived at the castle. The castle pond was constructed in the old bed of the stream. The Zolder mine also left its mark on the area. Collapsing mine shafts caused the ground to subside and marshes formed in various places. You cycle a few kilometres through the western part of this quiet green stream valley. In the meadows you will see damp grasslands, willow thickets and marshy woods.

Still have time and energy left? Then take a look at the top of the former mine spoil tip, a mountain of waste stone that towers 85 meters into the sky. The former black gold has been forged into a green diamond in recent years. In the summer, you can spot cheerfully fluttering queen pages here. Moreover, at the top you have a beautiful view of the Kempen.