www.hasselt.be
The capital of the province of Limburg, Hassel, is situated on the eastern part of Flanders. With 68.000 inhabitants an economically flourishing region the town is the commercial centre of the province of Limburg and ranks fourth on the list of the most important commercial centres in Belgium. The service sector is very prominent and the business affairs vary from large store chains to pleasant and exclusive boutiques, also thanks to the enforced mobility policy the city council of Hasselt quarantees good accessibility. The city of Hasselt takes the responsibility as concerns education and thus supports the different educational systems. The mobility plan, the bicycle friendly policy, the large sports infrastructure, the prevention policy and the environmental policy are all particular examples. All these elements also create an interesting residential and working environment for entrepreneurs who get more and more attracted to the provincial capital.

History:
Hasselt is a city with a historical past. People believe that the parish dates back to the 7th century. It cannot be determined when exactly Hasselt was promoted into a city, but in 1232 count Arnold IV of Loon renewed the Charter of City Rights. At that time Hasselt already was the first city of the county of Loon, in the immediate vicinity of the count’s residence at the Herckenrode Abbey in Kuringen.

Thanks to its central location in the county at the junction of the most important roads, the town developed into the main market and trading centre of this region during the 13th and 14th centuries. In the 15th and the first half of the 16th century, Hasselt became a prosperous cloth town. The building scheme of the Saint-Quintin’s Cathedral, with its numerous rebuildings and extensions between the 13th and 16th centuries clearly illustrates the growing prosperity of the city. In the second half of the 16th century, the cloth sharply declined, not only because of the rivalry of the English cloth, but also because of political and religious turbulence. In the 17th century, Hasselt’s cloth industry had almost disappeared. Amongst the new developed industries, the jenever distilleries need to be mentioned. Furthermore, Hasselt continued to be an important commercial centre.

In 1839, after the Belgian independence, Hasselt became the capital of the Belgian province of Limburg. Important public works were started and new buildings were constructed. The city lost its medieval outlook. The ramparts were demolished in 1846, the ditches filled up and replaced by a broad circular road, allowing further development of the city. In 1847, Hasselt had its first railway connection. In the middle of the 19th century, the jenever distilleries knew great prosperity. Jenever distillation even became one of Limburg’s most important industries. In 1860, Has selt counted 29 distilleries. As a related industry, one should not forget to mention the fattening of oxen which were fed with the wastes of the distilleries. In the 20th century, Hasselt grew up to be a dynamic and modern city becoming one of Belgium’s most important commercial centres.

Folklore and historic festivities live on in the hearts of the inhabitants and are considered as a most valuable cultural heritage. The Virga Jesse Festivities certainly are the most important. The Organ and Carillon Festival in the summer, the Jenever Weekend in October and many others show the liveliness of the city. Finally, Hasselt is an international city with worldwide relations. It has established sister-city relationships with Sittard (the Netherlands), Detmold (Germany), Itami (Japan) and Mountain View (USA, Silicon Valley).

Location:
Hasselt, capital of the province of Limburg is situated on the eastern part of Flanders.

Local economy:
Without doubt, the city of Hasselt is the commercial centre of the province of Limburg and ranks fourth on the list of the most important commercial centres in Belgium. The broad range of business affairs and services is a large force of attraction to the surrounding region. The business affairs vary from large store chains to pleasant and exclusive boutiques. The pedestrian shopping streets add to the comfort of shopping in the center of town. The events that take place in Hasselt, such as the shopping feast at the end of June, the fashion weekend and lots of other successful events give an extra asset to the local commercial life.

The service sector is very prominent in Hasselt as well. For example, the numerous local headquarters that have established in Hasselt, or the presence of the Vlaamse Huis (under construction) etc. Also thanks to the enforced mobility policy (Groene Boulevard, free public transport, …) the city council of Hasselt quarantees good accessibility. Since 1 July 1997, travelling by bus in Hasselt has been free of charge. Buses operate very frequently. They take you to the town centre in no more than 10 minutes. This means that tourists can reach all our sights easily. It reached every national and international newspaper cover when the city council announced that every Hasselaar could take the bus for free! Not only the free buses but also a special traffic policy is special to Hasselt.

A large traffic policy : very important, with among others a public transport policy, a mobility plan, a bicycle plan, a parking policy plan, renovation of the station environment, the Green Boulevard –the renovated ring road around the inner city, modifications to the large ring road,… A small traffic policy : a fast solution for the inhabitants with among others anti-parking poles, speed ramps, elevated cross-roads, gate effects,… Particularly making the public realise its importance by well-oriented actions such as Carfree days, biking to the shop, cycle pooling,…

All these elements also create an interesting residential and working environment for entrepreneurs who get more and more attracted to the provincial capital. On the numerous industrial sites on the territory of the city of Hasselt we find companies with a broad range of activities. The employment quaranteed by these companies is an enduring challenge for the council.
 

Population:
With 68.000 inhabitants and an area of 10.233 ha, Hasselt is the commercial and service centre of the province. The province of Limburg is an economically flourishing region. As a result, the demand for qualified employees rises, so that education becomes even more important for this region. Therefore, Hasselt provides a large number of schools with a broad range of disciplines. This largely attracts pupils and students, even from far beyond the city borders. 42.017 toddlers, children, youth and adults follow courses in the numerous primary schools, secondary schools and colleges of Hasselt. The proximity of the university of Diepenbeek (now linked to the University of Maastricht, Nl. - Transnational University Limburg - for some scientific courses) and the different departments of higher education are a vital link in the education system of 14.506 students.