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The generally known nickname ‘ajuinen’ or, as they say in Aalst, ‘ajoinen’, goes back to the 19th century when in Aalst and its environs the growing of onions (‘ajuinen’ in Dutch) flourished thanks to the fertile river polders along the Dender. As it happens, the affirmative answer “ha, ja hij” (something like “oh yes, definitely”) is pronounced in the Aalst dialect as ‘a’joi’n’ or ‘ajoin’. ‘Ajoin’ is for inhabitants of Aalst a real honorary title: given his biting sense of humour and self-mockery the nickname is as music to his ears.
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Vibrant Aalst Aalst, for an enjoyable day of shopping When you love shopping (and who doesn’t), you will no doubt fall for Aalst. People never leave our pedestrian shopping precinct empty-handed. It is the ideal day-out for fans of pedestrian shopping streets, exclusive boutiques and trend spotters. Five shopping streets, all leading to the central market square (‘Grote Markt’), constitute the economic heart of our town. Next to the big chains you’ll also come across many small and trendy boutiques. Most shops are open from Monday up to and including Saturday, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. On Sundays and holidays, doors remain closed except on Open Sundays during special shopping weekends. Some shopping highlights are the “Top Sales day” (first Saturday of May), the Summer Fairs (last weekend before Summer sales), Autumn Shopping (first weekend of October) and the Year-end Shopping Sundays with lively Christmas village and ice-skating rink on the central market square.
Saturday Market Saturday is the traditional market day in Aalst. On a Saturday morning, you can breathe in the odours of a freshly made bouquet of flowers on the flower market, of delicious grilled chicken, of warm, freshly baked cakes and so much more. You can admire the skills of market vendors extolling the virtues of their goods and make your choice out of the fresh offer of fruit and vegetables, exquisite slices of meat, colourful textile fabrics.
Location: Grote Markt, Nieuwstraat, Korte Nieuwstraat, Hopmarkt, Vredeplein, Vlaanderenstraat and Keizersplein. From 08.00 – 13.00 h.
Satisfy your hunger and thirst No doubt about it, all gourmets will more than find what they are looking for. The hotels, restaurants and pubs in Aalst are, with their central location on and around the central market square, the vibrant heart of town. The tourist ambassadors listed below will also be pleased to help you with information and leaflets about the mustsee tourist attractions of our town. You’ll recognise these businesses by the ‘Info, I can help’ logo.
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Stately Aalst Grote Markt The central market square in Aalst or ‘Grote Markt’ is a pleasant, yet stately square with several imposing monuments and various restaurants and pubs. It is the administrative, economic and social heart of our town.
Borse van Amsterdam To the left of the belfry, at the former ‘meat house’, the current Borse was built in 1630. It has been erected in renaissance architecture with open gallery. The building was used as a hostelry along the old commercial route Lille – Amsterdam. In the Daens era it was the meeting place for the conservative catholic party with figure head Charles Woeste. Presently, you can wine and dine here in a stylish and pleasant setting.
Oud Schepenhuis (former city hall with belfry and ‘gebiedshuis’). The main attraction on the Grote Markt is no doubt the former ‘Aldermen’s House’ with belfry and late gothic extension (‘Gebiedshuis’). The ‘Oud Schepenhuis’ was built in 1225 and is the oldest preserved aldermen’s house of the Low Countries. The high saddle roof and four round corner towers will later become typical of late medieval town halls. The belfry from 1407 owes its elegance to the octangular tower with open gallery. The façade holds two statues picturing the Counts of Flanders and Counts of Aalst and the inscription ‘NEC SPE NEC METU’ (no hope without fear), the motto of Philips II, who in 1555 was welcomed as Count of Aalst. The decorative belfry tower received UNESCO world heritage status in 1999 and houses one of the oldest carillons of our country. The carillon still reminds people every quarter of an hour of the centuries-old presence of the belfry on the Grote Markt.
The neo gothic figures of the tower clock were replaced in 1960 by a dial with half spheres. As of then, people from Aalst refer to the Belfry as the ‘tettentoeren’ or ‘breasts tower’, a referral to the resemblance between the clock and a woman’s breasts.
The ‘Gebiedshuisje’, the protruding late gothic extension, was the place from where the bailiff or alderman proclaimed new laws for people gathering at the Grote Markt. Five statues decorate the face: Lady Justitia, Dirk van Aalst (the last count who died in 1166), Pieter Coecke (court painter), Emperor Charles V and Cornelius De Schrijver (humanist and Latin poet). The belfry is not open to the public. Every month, all members of the town council gather here for the town council’s meeting, the second floor is fitted out as a meeting room and the ground floor and cellar are let as exhibition rooms. 4
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His statue has been designed and cast in bronze by Jean Geefs. In 1856, it was given a permanent place on the Grote Markt. Because of its typical green and black colours from oxidised bronze, people from Aalst often refer to this statue as ‘the black guy’.
Dirk Martens (Aalst 1446 – Aalst 1534) Dirk Martens, coming from Aalst, is generally considered as the person who brought the art of printing to the southern part of the Low Countries. In 1473, he set up his first printing atelier in Aalst. He was also an important promoter of humanism in Europe of that time. He published among others work from his good friend Erasmus and printed the first edition of Utopia from Thomas Moore and also the travel stories of Christoffel Colombus.
Town hall – Country house Town hall The neo classicistic building along the market square was built at about 1830 under the supervision of the Ghent architect Louis Roelandt. Behind the façade, decorated with the town’s arms, is the big party and reception hall extending over two floors. (not open to the public) Country house Around the inner court yard, you’ll find the buildings in rococo style of the former country house. It was built as residence and administrative seat for the Government of the Land of Aalst. Today, many town services are housed here. The ornamental Dutch gable of the main building with sundial and oculus (small round window) is flanked by the monument for the victims of 1830 and the bronze statue of ‘Ondineke’. Ondineke is the main character from the novel ‘De Kapellekesbaan’ (Chapel Road) from Louis Paul Boon.
Don’t hesitate to walk through the pedestrian passageway to the backyard of the town hall where you can admire the beautifully renovated rear elevation.
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St. Martin’s church Jan Van der Wauwe, a renowned architect, replaced the former place of worship, which was destroyed and had become too small, by the present church. The construction of the St. Martin’s church started in 1480 but the church was never fully completed according to plan. For financial reasons, the construction works would be stopped 180 years later. The designers and clients had a much larger building in mind. Still, for the self-assured urban community the imposing church became a symbol of power. The main church of Aalst is a fine example of late Brabant Gothic. Prominent families from the town left their marks in it. The family de Ruddere, for instance, used the Our Lady of Sorrows chapel as their final resting-place and knight Geraard du Bosch (head bailiff of the Land of Aalst) with his wife Isabeau Lotin are buried here under a monumental gravestone.
Adolf Daens was baptised and did his Holy Communion in this church and he also celebrated his first mass in it in 1873. From the oak-wood pulpit (made by Willem I of Buscum), the great speaker that he was addressed his dearly beloved. Also from this place, he would later be condemned and attacked. At the end of his life, he came here every day to do the Stations of the Cross. In 1907, his funeral was held here, no hymns were sung. Later, a memorial stone would be erected, sponsored by countless small donations from many Daens followers.
In Town Museum ‘t Gasthuys you can still see a scale-model of the St. Martin’s church as it should have looked like according to the architect.
The painting ‘Christ makes Saint Roch patron of plague victims’ of Peter Paul Rubens was commissioned by local beer and hop merchants. Many objects of art embellish the church: the gravestone of Dirk Martens, the renaissance sacrament tower of Jeroen Du Quesnoy the Old, some frescos, the imposing Van Peteghem organ and several stained-glass windows from the Ghent atelier of Casier. The “popular window” with the titular Saint Martin as central figure in the right-hand transept played an important part for the urban meridian. The meridian lies in the form of a copper strip in the floor of the St. Martin’s church. At noon, when the sun falls through an oculus (small hole) of this stained-glass window, this generates a ray of light on the copper strip. In the beginning of the 19th century these meridians were used to establish a standard time for the whole of the Belgian territory. Such uniform time was needed to draw up the time schedules for the trains, which were introduced in Belgium in 1832.
location: Sint-Martensplein
In May 2003, renovation works to the St. Martin’s church were started. The monument in Brabant Gothic is being fully restored. This is done in 10 stages, a number of which have already been completed. The total amount that will be invested in these renovation works is estimated at nearly six million Euro. The end of the works is scheduled for 2015.
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Moments of repose at monuments Adolf Daens (Aalst 1839 – Aalst 1907) ‘Workers should neither be slaves nor beggars. They should be free and prosperous human beings.’, such were the words of Catholic priest Adolf Daens from his pulpit in the St. Martin’s church in Aalst. The same text is also written below the statue showing the priest surrounded by a working-class family. He often walked along the banks of the nearby Dender where he saw many social injustices. He worked hard for political and social reforms and devoted himself to the interests of workers, farmers and small tradesmen. As the standard bearer of the Christian people’s party and representative for Aalst he often collided with the conservative catholic party, the conservative higher clergy and, behind the scenes, also with king Leopold II. The house of his birth, or better the place where it once stood, can be found in the Kerkstraat number 11. In 1992, Stijn Coninx adapted the novel ‘Pieter Daens’ from Louis Paul Boon into a film and in 2008 a successful series of musical theatre performances was produced by Studio 100.
location: Werfplein
Valerius De Saedeleer (Aalst 1867 – Leupegem 1941) The artist from Aalst, Valerius De Saedeleer, received his first artistic education at the Ghent Academy of Fine Arts and painted mainly the Leie region and the Flemish Ardennes. He is one of the most prominent representatives of the School of Latem (first period). After his decease, this honorary citizen was interred in a monumental grave in the public graveyard of Aalst. Some of his masterpieces are exhibited in Town Museum ‘t Gasthuys. From this museum, amidst his masterpieces, you can catch a glimpse of the artist’s statue.
location: Oude Vismarkt
Louis Paul Boon (Aalst 1912 – Erembodegem 1979) Louis Paul Boon wrote about the eventful social history of Aalst and its environs. The town where he was born and its history are his main sources of inspiration. His novels ‘De Kapellekesbaan’ (Chapel Road) and ‘Menuet’ (Minuet) are his most popular and most translated works for which he was also nominated for the Nobel prize. Other literary works of Boon include: Zomer te Ter Muren, Mieke Maaike, De bende van Jan de Lichte and Daens. To honour him, Aalst erected a statue: ‘The Narrator’. It embellishes the front garden of Town Museum ‘t Gasthuys.
location: Oude Vismarkt, front garden of Town Museum ‘t Gasthuys
Have a seat at the bench opposite his statue and tell him your story ‘eye to eye’. In his novels ‘ De Kapellekesbaan’ and ‘Zomer te Ter Muren’ Louis Paul Boon describes the life of Ondineke, a sly working-class girl that will do anything to climb the social ladder. Town Museum ‘t Gasthuys contains a small statue of her. An exact copy can be found in the town hall’s inner courtyard.
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Town Museum ‘t Gasthuys Town Museum ‘t Gasthuys is situated in the oldest part of town and got his name from the old hospital that used to be here. In popular speech a hospital was also called ‘gasthuys’. The story of our town and region is highlighted, paying attention to the different aspects that make up the character and individuality of Aalst. Archaeological finds from Aalst are exhibited and various temporary exhibitions are organised here. In the central meeting place a short history of Aalst is told and at the guests’ table you can consult information brochures and books.
Aalst Carnival In the Carnival Museum (on the attic floor), you’ll find out more about the history and typical features and elements of Aalst Carnival. You can sniff up a bit of the atmosphere of this three-day popular festival. In 2010, UNESCO recognised Carnival Aalst as immaterial cultural world heritage.
Four famous people from Aalst In the former hospital wards, you can experience more about the life and life’s work of the 4 great ones from Aalst: Dirk Martens, Valerius De Saedeleer, Adolf Daens and Louis Paul Boon. location: Oude Vismarkt 13, 9300 Aalst, phone 053 73 23 45, museum@aalst.be, www.aalst.be/museum Opening hours Tuesday to Friday from 10 till 12 h and from 13 till 17 h. Saturday and Sunday from 14 till 18 h. Closed on Mondays and public holidays.
Cultural Centre De Werf Cultural centre ‘De Werf’ is a meeting place for performing arts, classical music, theatre and comedy. It’s a place where people can experience lots of different things. The open glass building symbolises our vision to bring culture to the streets and passers-by. Here you can enjoy culture at its best! location: Molenstraat 51, 9300 Aalst. phone 053 73 28 12, fax 053 73 28 49, ccdewerf@aalst.be, www.ccdewerf.be
Netwerk – Centre for Contemporary Art Netwerk offers a comprehensive modern art programme with expositions, lectures, workshops, screenings and concerts. location: Houtkaai, 9300 Aalst. phone 053 70 97 73, www.netwerk-art.be
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Railway station The railway station and its surrounding quarter were designed in 1852 by JeanPierre Cluysenaer. He got his inspiration for the design from the gallery of the ‘Borse van Amsterdam’. The battlement, corner turrets and central turret evoke memories of a medieval castle. The direct railway link between Ghent and Brussels via Aalst significantly improved the distribution of products made in Aalst as well as the provisioning of the many factories established in Aalst. In 1990, this building was fully restored and at the moment, Aalst is working closely together with NMBS, Infrabel, De Lijn and Waterwegen en Zeekanaal NV to realise a new station quarter. Thanks to the master plan of architect Christian Kieckens this district will be converted into a pleasant and dynamic meeting place for vibrant Aalst.
Beguinage The beguinage was built in 1261, only the original shape of the square with its small houses has been preserved. The St. Catherine’s church, dating from 1787, is a rare example of religious architecture in classicistic style; at present, the church is used by the orthodox community. The neo baroque St. Anthony of Padua chapel was built on the grave of Johanna de Dedemaecker. She was a mystic beguine who died from the plague in 1631.
location: between Anna Snelstraat and Pontstraat
Keizersplein The bourgeoisie of the 19th century used the fronts of the former medieval bulwarks for building their typical mansions. The walls rendered in white are decorated with pillars and ornamental elements and, often, also with a balcony above the entrance gate. Here lived at the time the head men of the Conservative party and, particularly, many factory bosses who had their factories in their back garden.
In 1997, the whole complex of mansions and rows of trees in the middle were protected as townscape. The statue of Queen Astrid, erected in 1938, and that of King Baudouin, dating from 1991, form the beginning and end of the row of trees.
Terlinden Castle The former coach house and orangery now holds a branch establishment of the Aalst library. The castle gardens, now measuring 2 ha, still have their original pattern of roads and bulwarks and have been landscaped in country style. The gardens are open to the public, the castle isn’t.
location: Square J. Geerinckx The ‘Draeckenieren’, a club in Aalst that loves to make fun with neighbouring town Dendermonde, planted here their ‘Draecken’ (or dragon) monument.
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Events Jumping Aalst Jumping Aalst is a highly ranked international equestrian event in Aalst. You will find more information on this unique horse trial on www.jumping-aalst.com. Location: Domain De Kluizen, Affligemdreef 184, 9300 Aalst. Free entrance.
Pikkeling The ‘Pikkeling’ is a freely accessible harvest festival organised every year at a farmstead of one of the Faluintjes villages Baardegem, Herdersem, Meldert and Moorsel. This folkloric festival pays tribute to the joys of harvesting, with typical Flemish harvest scenes being demonstrated by farmers in traditional clothing. Much attention is paid to international folklore and typical regional dishes are promoted. www.faluintjes-pikkeling.be Free entrance.
After-Tour Criterium Every year, the Tour of France travels through France. Riders climb the Alps and Pyrenees, put on sprints and do time trials to finally reach Paris. On the Monday following their arrival in Paris, Aalst is the Mecca of cycling because then the first After-Tour Criterium is contested in our city. The organisers boast not only to have the big names of cycling at the start in Aalst, but also the Tour’s green and yellow jersey winners. www.criteriumaalst.be Free entrance.
Cirk! Aalst Cirk! Aalst is and will always remain an accessible open-air summer festival for a broad public: young, old, families with children, typical festival visitors, circus fans or passers-by. Everyone will find something to his liking during this three-day circus event in Aalst. www.cirkaalst.be Free entrance.
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From historic centre to trendy town 7th century
Founding of the ‘Zelhof’ under the Carolingian dynasty. First permanent settlement.
868
First mentioning of Aalst. Aalst is derived from Alus-Oth. Alus means alder. Oth means place. So, Alus-oth is a place were many alder woods are found.
879
First mentioning of the Dender river: Tanara – a turbulent watercourse.
1048
Count Baudouin I conquers the part of the Brabant gan (region) later known as the Land of Aalst.
1164
Citizens of Aalst are given town privileges, they become burghers or townsmen.
1174
Philips of Alsace confirms the town privileges. Aalst is given its own court. (This record is in our town archives.)
1241
Johanna of Constantinople donates land for building a hospital (the current Town Museum ‘t Gasthuys) and gives her permission to build a meat and corn hall.
1242
The town administration awards ‘spoon rights’ to the hospital. From every bag of wheat, rye, beans sold in the corn hall, the hospital may take a spoonful. (This double spoon is exhibited in the museum.)
1285
Guy of Dampierre, Count of Flanders, orders that the Dender be made navigable.
1380-1385
Siege by army from Ghent, the town is completely destroyed.
1400
First mentioning of a Shrove Tuesday festival in the town accounts.
1473
Dirk Martens and Jan van Westfalen print in Aalst the first books of the southern Low Countries.
1480
Beginning of the construction of the St. Martin’s church.
1555
Philips II takes the oath ‘ten bretesque’ (in the ‘gebiedshuisje’ (extension of the town hall with belfry)). His motto is imprinted on the belfry: ‘Nec spe, nec metu’ (no hope without fear).
1604
Jeroen Du Quesnoy the Old chisels the sacrament tower (which can be visited in the St. Martin’s church).
1624
Local hop and corn merchants buy the painting ‘Christ makes Saint Roch patron of plague victims’ of Peter Paul Rubens (exhibited in the St. Martin’s church).
1667
Field Marshall Turenne conquers the town. There is a lot of pillaging and all town gates, bulwarks and fortifications are demolished.
1771
Canalisation and straightening of the river Dender.
1856
Inauguration of the railway link Brussels – Aalst – Ghent. The statue of Dirk Martens is unveiled by Leopold II.
1916
Opening of the town park on 1 June.
1923
The first organised Carnival procession parades through the streets of Aalst.
1977 The territory of Aalst is expanded through the merger with the following villages: Baardegem, Erembodegem, Gijzegem, Herdersem, Hofstade, Meldert, Moorsel and Nieuwerkerken. 1988
Opening of Cultural Centre De Werf.
1995
Opening of new Town Archives and transfer of the complete archives of the former Land of Aalst.
1999
UNESCO recognises the belfry and beguinage as cultural world heritage.
2010
VLAM recognises the ‘Aalsterse vlaaien’ (kind of sweet open pie) as official regional product. Carnival Aalst is recognised by UNESCO as immaterial cultural world heritage.
The arms of Aalst The arms of Aalst go back, both as to shape and design, to the town seal for commercial transactions of burghers (townsmen) from 1394. The official text reads: ‘In silver a sword in gules (red) with at the top two smaller shields, on the right in gold a double eagle in sable (black), tongue, beak and legs in gules, and on the left in gold a lion in sable, claws and tongue in gules. The shield is topped with a crown of gold with thirteen pearls, of which three are raised.’ The standing sword symbolises the autonomous judicial power and military strength of the town. The two small shields on top at the point of the sword – with the imperial eagle and the lion of Flanders – refer to the serfdom of the count of Flanders to the German emperor and French king. The shield is topped by the traditional crown of counts from the old Catholic part of the Low Countries. 11
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‘Aalsterse vlaaien’ … recognised as regional product ‘The brown gold’ of Aalst … there is nothing better with a cup of coffee or simply on a slice of bread than a piece of ‘Aalsterse vlaai’. They are made of ‘mastellen’ (kind of rock-hard bread with cinnamon comparable to a bagel) and definitely not with gingerbread or ‘speculaas’. In Aalst, baking pies is an old tradition. In the old days, when it was ‘kermis’ (fun fair) in town, housewives used to go to the nearby bakery with their home-made bowl of pie to have it put in the oven there. Aalst … Carnival … kermis We go back to 1891. Daens writes the following in his newspaper (‘het Land van Aelst’): Aalst kermis … it looks frightening; this Saturday, you will see a crowd at the Hespenmarkt and the Eiermarkt, shopkeepers lay in a big stock of syrup, they make packs of mace for the pies … In that period, the baker had on his counter dozens of bowls fitted with name tags. However, this custom died out. Bakers made their own pies and sold them in brown stone bowls that had to be returned.
Taken a fancy to baking your own ‘Aalsterse vlaaien’? The recipe: 1 litre of milk – 45 sugar cubes – 2 eggs – 400 g of candied syrup – 1 coffee spoon of cinnamon – 1 pinch of mace – 7 ‘mastellen’. Preparation: bring the milk to the boil and add sugar. Grate the mastellen and mix them with the beaten up eggs, cinnamon and mace. Add to the milk. Add the candied syrup and mix thoroughly. Put in the oven for 2 hours at 170° C and … tuck in!
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The town administration of Aalst together with local bakers had every reason to have the ‘Aalsterse vlaaien’ recognised as Flemish regional product. Do come to one of these five bakers and have a taste of the culinary delight of Aalst with its rich history. In June 2010, these bakers received the official logo as recognised manufacturers of Aalsterse vlaaien. Bakery, coffee- and tea-room Lowie, Molenstraat 16, 9300 Aalst Bakery Lowie, Heilig Hartlaan, 9300 Aalst. www.bakkerijlowie.be Bakery De Ridder Wim, Korte Zoutstraat 30, 9300 Aalst. Bakery Malpertuus, Kattestraat 67, 9300 Aalst. Bakery Verleysen, Hoogstraat 3, 9308 Hofstade Bakery Verleysen, Pachting 38, 9310 Moorsel. Bakery Verleysen, Grote Baan 223A, 9310 Herdersem www.bakeryverleysen.be Nelson BVBA, Vlaaien van Aalst, Rampelberg 59, 9310 Baardegem. (with a stall on the Saturday market)
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Aalst, party town Carnival Aalst Carnival, Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Grass or, as they say in Aalst, ‘Oilsjt Carnaval’. They’re all about the same phenomenon: a three-day carnivalesque popular festival. In 2010, UNESCO recognised Aalst Carnival as immaterial cultural world heritage. An important title in which Aalst and its inhabitants take pride. A short description of the annual Carnival festival:
Winter fair Since many years, the Winter fair is the ideal appetiser for Aalst Carnival. When the more than hundred fairground attractions take in their places on the various market squares, carnival tension starts to rise. The recipe for a successful visit to the Winter fair consists of the following ingredients: swinging or whirling around in one of the many spectacular attractions, sniffing up the atmosphere at nostalgic fairground attractions and enjoying a delicious doughnut ball (‘smaâbol’).
Location: Hopmarkt, Houtmarkt, Espanadeplein, Keizershallen and Grote Markt.
Carnival procession Traditionally, on Sunday and Monday before Ash Wednesday the original Carnival procession parades through the centre streets of Aalst. More than seventy groups, all from Aalst, give their personal and humoristic view on figures and events of the past year. Then, the typical street carnival bursts out, a wonderful mix of partygoers in colourful and inventive costumes.
Data of Carnival for the next 5 years: 2 March 2014 15 February 2015 7 February 2016 26 February 2017 11 February 2018
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About broom dancing and throwing onions No Carnival goes without the broom dance of the Gilles and the throwing of onions on Carnival Monday. After the act of the Gilles from Aalst thousands of onion-shaped pieces of candy are thrown to the crowd from the balcony of the town hall, the first prize being a golden onion.
location: Grote Markt
When the Gilles put on their golden mask and the drums begin to roll, they sway vehemently with their brooms, stamp with their clogs on the ground and let their bells tinkle. With this broom dance, the Gilles dispel the wicked ghosts and beg the gods for good weather and a good harvest. The vernal equinox festival has now begun.
‘Voil Jeanetten’ parade Tuesday is “Voil Jeanetten” day, exuberantly painted men in women’s clothes with oversized bras, old corsets, broken umbrellas, potties and prams flood across the centre streets, mocking with everyone. In honour of the “Voil Jeanet” a statue has been erected that found a temporary spot in Town Museum ‘t Gasthuys.
location: from Grote Markt via Statieplein to Vredeplein
Doll burning On Tuesday evening, Carnival is nearing its end. Partygoers and spectators alike gather at the Grote Markt. The Shrove Tuesday doll is set afire by Prince Carnival, for many an emotional moment as it marks the official end of Carnival.
location: Grote Markt www.aalst.be/carnaval
Experience Aalst Carnival the whole year round You can now experience Aalst Carnival, a unique popular festival recognised by UNESCO as immaterial cultural world heritage, the whole year round. The Tourist Information Office enables you with a digital carrier to experience all aspects of this frivolous, threeday carnival festival while taking a walk across town accompanied by audiovisual footage. During this digital walk, you can feel the tension rising in the carnival workshops where the floats are being built, sniff up the unique atmosphere and enjoy the sensation of carnival in our town. You can download the footage free of cost via www.storynations.com/AlleDagenCarnaval or rent an appliance at the Tourist Information Office.
distance: 3 km price: 7,- EUR security: 25,- EUR 15
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Aalst and its villages Baardegem Baardegem is situated at the border between East Flanders and the Flemish part of Brabant and is probably the most rural part of Aalst. The beautiful St. Margaret’s church (partly late Romanesque, partly early Gothic) with small baroque chapel makes a visit very worthwhile. In the shadow of this church, you’ll find the statue of Jan Frans Vonck as a school boy. He would later on, as political scientist and lawyer, become one of the leaders of the Brabant Revolution. Every year, on the last Tuesday of August, on the occasion of Faubourg kermis, a folkloric procession marches through the streets, going hand in hand with lots of popular amusement in the local pubs.
Erembodegem Erembodegem is the largest village of Aalst and has many things going for it. The chapel of Our Lady of Termuren was originally part of Hof ten Hale. This chapel was immortalised by the literary masterpiece of Louis Paul Boon ‘Chapel Road’. Since the 14th century already, the St. Amantius chapel, a place of pilgrimage, is awarded curative powers because of the presence of water from the nearby source. A walk through 2 wonderful nature reserves as ‘Gerstjens en de Welle’ and ‘Kapellemeersen’ comes highly recommended. Each year, the active and creative association of local businesses organises in the centre the popular Top Sales day.
Gijzegem In Gijzegem, the St. Martin’s church is definitely worth a visit and the village square still has an authentic pillory. Famous is also the St. Vincent institute of the Sisters a Paolo, a congregation founded in 1818 by baroness Elisabeth de Robiano from Gijzegem. The old school canteen is a fine example of art deco (not open to the public).
Herdersem The chapel of ‘Our Lady Ten Beeldeken’, the restored Van Peteghem and Vereecken organs in the Assumption of Mary church, a bust of Alfons De Cock (the father of scientific folklore in Flanders), the beautiful meadows along the Dender and the picturesque Dender region with its many little chapels are some of the sights in rural Herdersem.
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Hofstade In Hofstade, you can find the listed Gothic Assumption of Mary church, with adjustments dating from the 17th and 19th century, beautifully situated a bit higher in the village centre. It is surrounded by a lime tree, small yew trees and a classified churchyard wall.
Meldert Meldert lies in the shade of the Abbey of Affligem and the major part of its territory used to be part of it.
The monumental sandstone on the village square of Meldert reminds people of the wealth and economic activity of earlier times. From the quay at the Dender in Herdersem, this stone was shipped to majestic construction sites such as the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp, the Cathedral of Cologne and the Cathedral of Amiens.
The former landscape was marked by several hop plantings. Now, only a few hop fields are left. A couple of local beers are still being brewed exclusively with this hop. The living hop monument on the village square is a tribute to this culture. The village square, a so-called Frankish ‘dries’, the St. Walpurga church from the 14th century, the ‘Molenvijver’ pond, the woods of the ‘Kravaalbos’ and a couple of beautiful farmsteads are definitely worth a visit.
Moorsel Moorsel owes its impressive water castle (1520) to the Affligem abbot Karel van Croy. This ‘pied-à-terre’ was built as a ‘séjour de plaisance’, an idyllic setting for the abbot who, according to the sources, ‘indulged in his worldly desires’. The castle is now private property and no longer open to the public. Between the water castle and the Abbey of Affligem lies nature reserve ‘Faluintjes’, a lovely place for a long walk.
Nieuwerkerken Nieuwerkerken was the setting for the story of Dimitri Verhulst in his filmed novel ‘De helaasheid der dingen’ (The Misfortunates). The village square around the church underwent a complete transformation in recent years. The plantings, fountains and benches now offer the ideal setting for a short repose after a bicycle trip. At the border between Nieuwerkerken and Aalst lies Regelsbrugge or Schotte castle. The name Regelsbrugge refers to a small bridge in the back garden. The profitable activities from the tannery of the Schotte family allowed the latter to almost completely demolish the old castle and have it rebuilt on the old foundations in a neo Classicistic style. 17
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Four rural villages of Aalst, namely Baardegem, Herdersem, Meldert and Moorsel, together from the ‘Faluintjes’ region. They are as it were the ‘green lungs’ of Aalst. Between the abbey of Affligem and the water castle of Moorsel lies nature reserve ‘The Faluintjes’. The word ‘Faluintjes’ is explained in different ways. According to some, it is a corruption of the French “vallée”, the valley of the Molenbeek brook. Others recognise the French word “fallourdes”, which means faggots. Did the monks make this swampy valley passable by using stacks of faggots? Or would it be a corruption of the Celtic ‘fallæn’, the French ‘fallun’ – ‘fallunière’ or stone quarry? There is indeed an impenetrable layer of calcareous sandstone (at the time developed by the abbey of Affligem) here. Whatever, it concerns a swampy nature reserve to which all these possibilities apply. Thus, the ‘Faluintjes’ still remain a linguistic mystery.
Kravaalbos The Kravaalbos is one of the last remaining woods to the northwest of Brussels and is situated for the largest part in Meldert. It is part of the former coal forest, which also covered well-known woods such as ‘Zoniënwoud’ and ‘Hallerbos’. In the Middle Ages, this stretch of woods became widely known for its stone quarries, which also explains the name of the woodland: ‘kravaal’ comes from ‘carvaal’, or ‘car’ and ‘vaal’, ‘car’ meaning stone and ‘vaal’ valley. In the 12th century, its development started on the initiative of the monks of the Affligem abbey. It was an important source of income for Meldert.
Hop Not that many people will know this: for centuries, the region between Aalst and Asse was known as one of the richest hop regions of Europe. Older inhabitants love to tell that when they were young they could walk from one town to the other without ever leaving the green hop fields with their high poles and graciously climbing vines. The hop culture was introduced here by the abbey of Affligem and would later turn this region into the hop region of Flanders. Hop day with hop picking competition On the first Sunday of September, during the annual Hop day at Meldert kermis, everyone can become acquainted with the growing, harvesting and processing of hop.
This hop brought prosperity and standing to the entire region. It is with good reason that hop was given the epithet ‘the green gold’. Although large-scale hop culture disappeared from the region, the tradition lives on. In 2009, the town administration of Aalst in 2009 took the initiative with the rural development project ‘Faluintjes’ to let the (memory of the) once so prosperous hop culture relive. One of these initiatives was the restoration and maintenance of a hop field at the Nedermolenstraat in Meldert. Here, you can see a typical ‘wire field’. Numerous bicycle or walking trails will lead you along this culinary heritage of Aalst. 18
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The park is conceived as a spacious recreational area with promenade walks and playgrounds around two fishponds – the ‘balloon pond’ and the ‘mirror pond’ – and comprises more than 100 different kinds of tree. Just walk across this beautiful ‘tree show’ and discover lots of bird species in this unique green area. Children play on the various playground devices, sportsmen give it their best on the sports grounds and anglers enjoy the peace and quiet at the fishpond. The original park constructions (a milking parlour, a card club house, a garden shed and a bridge) still exude the typical atmosphere of those days. The milking parlour owes its name to the compulsory and unlimited sales of milk products as of 1916. Today, the milking parlour, with comfortable terrace, invites people for a drink and a bite, offering a wonderful view over the park.
location: the town park is bordered by Parklaan, Désiré De Wolfstraat and Erembodgemstraat.
The town park was laid out in 1915 under the impulse of the then alderman Désiré De Wolf. During World War I, the alderman wanted to create work for the men from Aalst to protect them from being requisitioned by the Germans.
Everyone knows the concept: a happy summer cocktail of music and atmosphere, brought to taste by a range of excellent artists. The concerts take place right in the city park on Monday evenings in July and August. www.parkies.net Free entrance.
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Cycling The many bicycle trails across and around town vouch for a safe and pleasant bicycle ride. Rent a bike You don’t want to drag along your own bicycle but you do want to make a bicycle ride in Aalst and its rural villages. No sweat! The Tourist Office of Aalst has the whole year round 10 rental bikes available in cooperation with bicycle workshop the ‘Fietserij’. They’re all good-quality bikes that are serviced at regular intervals. You want to rent bikes with a group? No problem either, we make sure the requested number of bikes will be ready. Upon prior request, BMX, tandem and electric bicycles can be rented as well. Price ½ day (max. 4 hours): 6,- EUR; 1 day (max. 8 hours): 9,- EUR; 2 days: 15,- EUR. Security per bicycle: 25,- EUR (limited to maximum 150,- EURregardless of the number of bikes rented)
Bicycle trails You want to discover the most beautiful spots of Aalst and its environs? These bicycle trails (on purchase at the Tourist Office) will lead you from one discovery to another: Fietsknooppuntennetwerk ‘Scheldeland’ Price 6,- EUR Hoppetocht Price: 2,- EUR loop 1: distance: 36.6 km — starting point: Meldert village centre loop 2: distance: 34 km — starting point: abbey of Affligem ‘Denderende Stedentocht’ (bicycle route along the towns of Dendermonde, Aalst, Ninove and Geraardsbergen), Price: 2,- EUR loop 1: distance: 45 km — starting point: centre of Dendermonde loop 2: distance: 39 km — starting point: town park Aalst loop 3: distance: 42 km — starting point: town park Ninove loop 4: distance: 46 km — starting point: centre of Geraardsbergen, junction Denderbrug – Sasweg Fietsen door de historische romans van Boon Price: 2,- EUR loop 1: distance 45 km — starting point: Frans Blanckaertdreef loop 2: distance 47 km — starting point: Frans Blanckaertdreef
Sanitary station for motor caravans Visitors with motor caravans are welcome in the ‘Zwembadpark’ (park at swimming pool). The sanitary station allows to empty the fixed or portable waste tank or toilet and to tank clean water. It can only be operated by purchasing a token for 5.00 EUR at the reception desk of the municipal swimming pool or at the Tourist Office. This sanitary station is located next to the swimming pool. Here, you are at a 15-minute walk from the Grote Markt, the economic heart of our town.
location: Zwembadlaan 2, 9300 Aalst coordinates: N50°93.825 E004°05.829
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Walking From a terrace right across the stately belfry and a visit to the unique Town Museum ‘t Gasthuys to the peace and quiet of green Aalst. In Aalst, there is so much to see, to experience, to enjoy, … You can experience Carnival on your own during a digital walking tour and also learn a lot from a guided tour. The guides are all trained and certified and will take you on a trip across town. You can ask for a separate brochure with all options for day trips for groups at the Tourist Office.
Walking trails Put on your good walking shoes and go for a walk across town; we can offer you the following walks: Tussen de rokken van de ajuinenstad price: 3,- EUR distance: 4 km starting point: Grote Markt
In de voetstappen van Boon price: 2,- EUR distance: loop 1: 4.5 km, loop 2: 5.5 km starting point: Grote Markt
Priester Daenswandeling price: 1,- EUR distance: 4 km starting point: Grote Markt
Faluintjesstreek wandellussen price: 2,- EUR - St. Anthony’s walk distance: 8 km – starting point: church Herdersem - St. Martin’s walk distance: 12 km – starting point: Moorsel village - St. Margareth’s walk distance: 12.5 km – starting point: Baardegem village centre - St. Walpurga’s walk distance: 13 km – starting point: Meldert village centre This is only a selection of our offer. For more information and tips, you can contact the Tourist Office.
Welle- en Kapellemeersen price: 2,- EUR distance: 11 km starting point: ’t Kasteeltje, Stationsstraat, Denderleeuw Van Chipka naar Sarajevo price: 1,- EUR distance: 6 km starting point: Town Museum ‘t Gasthuys – Aalst
‘Van ier no doar’ met Rik de spotvogel A walk with the kids price: 3,- EUR distance: 4 km
City Golf in the city Info www.city-golf.be info@city-golf.be tel. +32 498 39 56 94
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Sports and leisure Also for sports enthusiasts Aalst has a lot going for it. Apart from a comprehensive offer of public and private sports facilities, a lot of attention has been paid in recent years to the strongly increasing number of recreational sportsmen and –women. Tourists who love to sport can go to one of the many fitness centres or to the municipal swimming pool, the only 50-metre pool in the region. In sports centre Osbroek people can sport every day. One of the highlights is the illuminated jogging trail of 2.5 kilometres. Combined with the walking trails of the town park and the nature reserve, you can run a ‘round’ of 9 kilometre in the green lung of Aalst.
Mountain bike trail Challenging and full of surprises, that’s the least you can say about the mountain bike trail in Aalst. Discover nature in and around Aalst on your bike. Three signposted trails of 15, 20 and 28 kilometre await you. Experienced cyclists can combine the different trajectories.Price: 2,- EUR
Bike park Denderdal Another eye-catcher is the bike park situated next to sports hall Denderdal in Erembodegem. It’s no doubt the biggest fun park in Flanders for mountain bikers, BMX fans and cyclists. The various tracks are given a colour code depending on degree of difficulty and required skills.
location: Kortestraat • 9320 Erembodegem
Golf club De Kluizen De Kluizen, situated on the outskirts of Aalst, has in recent years been transformed from a golf school into a fullfledged golf and business centre with 9 holes. These 9 holes cover 1,904m, have a par of 31 and are – let’s say – quite challenging. So, you better practice your swing. The modern club house is a popular meeting place. The terrace offers a fantastic view over the whole course. And for a culinary treat, you can go to the brasserie/restaurant.
location: Zandberg 6 • phone 053 41 08 47 • www.dekluizen.be
Concrete Park Osbroek Aalst At Osbroek Park, ‘boarders’, ‘bladers’ and ‘bikers’ can give it their best shot on a new skateboard rink.
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Aalst has a lot to offer, more than enough for staying a couple of days. Enjoy the luxury of a stylish hotel or go for a nice and cosy bed & breakfast.
Moorseldorp 3, 9310 Moorsel phone 053 60 76 40 - fax 053 60 76 41 www.hostelleriedebiek.be e-mail: info@hostelleriedebiek.be rooms: 2 basic rooms (separate beds), 9 x 2 persons
HOTELS New Hotel de la Gare ** Stationsplein 11, 9300 Aalst phone 053 77 58 43 - fax 053 77 12 89 rooms: 5 x 1 person, 15 x 2 persons, 2 x 3 persons
Ibis ** Kattestraat 77, 9300 Aalst phone 0473 92 85 14 - fax 053 78 62 00 e-mail: aparthotel_malpertuus@telenet.be
Villalaan 20, 9300 Aalst phone 053 71 18 19 - fax 053 71 07 11 www.ibishotel.com - e-mail: info@ibisaalst.be rooms: 3 x 1 person, 66 x 2 persons, 6 x 4 persons, 1 x disabled
A. LiĂŠnartstraat 14, 9300 Aalst phone 053 77 58 20 - fax 053 78 14 69 www.stationhotel-aalst.com - e-mail: info@stationhotel-aalst.com rooms: 6 x 1 persons, 9 x 2 persons, 2 x 3 persons Zijpstraat 97, 9308 Hofstade-Aalst phone 0472 53 00 70 www.tslaapmutske.be e-mail: info@tslaapmutske.be
Hof Selmussen Blektestraat 140, 9308 Hofstade-Aalst phone 053 21 50 53 - mobile phone 0477 61 18 71 www.hofselmussen.be e-mail: info@hofselmussen.be
Keizersplein 27, 9300 Aalst phone 053 70 65 00 - fax. 053 75 08 75 www.royal-astrid.be - e-mail: info@royal-astrid.be rooms: 7 x 2 persons, 5 x 1 persons, 1 x 3 persons
Korte Nieuwstraat 15, 9300 Aalst phone 053 77 44 11 - fax 053 78 00 97 www.keizershof-hotel.com - e-mail: info@keizershof-hotel.com rooms: 71 x 2 persons
Tinnenhoekstraat 61, 9310 Moorsel-Aalst phone 053 78 80 34 - mobile phone. 0472 76 86 05 www.la-vie-en-roses.be e-mail: info@lavieenroses.be
Dirk Martensstraat 11, 9300 Aalst phone 053 78 37 29 - mobile phone. 0478 59 94 81 www.dezwartemaan.be e-mail: info@dezwartemaan.be
HOLIDAY COTTAGE /
(sleeping accommodation for max. 4 persons) Denderstraat 15, 9300 Aalst mobile phone 0486 78 33 59 - e-mail: het.gedicht@hotmail.com
Holiday cottage (sleeping accommodation for max. 4 persons) Van Lierde - Dooms Jeaninne Grote Baan 13, 9310 Herdersem-Aalst phone 053 21 48 10 - mobile phone 0476 60 37 10 or 0475 29 76 69 www.hofterdromen.be - e-mail: hof.ter.dromen@skynet.be
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Practical information •
Town administration Aalst: Grote Markt 3, phone 053 73 21 11
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Sanitary station for motor caravans: Zwembadlaan 2, GPS: N50°93.825 E004°05.829
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Bicycle shed: inner court yard of town hall, Grote Markt 3
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Library main establishment: Molenstraat 51, phone 053 73 28 65
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Town Archives: Oude Vismarkt 1, phone 053 73 23 10
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Emergency number: 112
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Car parks: car park ‘Keizershallen’ (Beekveldstraat), De Ridderstraat, Esplanadeplein, Kroonparking (Zonnestraat), Houtmarkt, Hoveniersplein, Zwembadlaan, Burcht (Burchtstraat), Hopmarkt, Postsite (Vaartstraat)
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GP on weekend duty: phone 053 77 33 22
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Pharmacy on weekend duty: phone 0900 69018
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Police: Beekveldstraat 29, phone 053 73 27 27
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Post office: Vaartstraat, Binnenstraat
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Railway station: Stationsplein, phone 02 528 28 28
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Bus station De Lijn: Dr. André Sierensstraat, phone 070 220 200
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Taxi: Stationsplein
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Film theatres: Feestpaleis, Vlaanderenstraat 24, phone 053 21 40 48 Palace, Bert Van Hoorickstraat 4, phone 053 71 01 06
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Swimming pool: Zwembadlaan 2, phone 053 73 22 75
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Hospitals:
Onze Lieve Vrouw Ziekenhuis, Moorselbaan 164, phone 053 72 41 11 Aalsters Stedelijk Ziekenhuis, Merestraat 80, phone 053 76 41 1
Tourist OfficeMolenstraat 45, 9300 Aalst phone 053 73 22 70 toerisme@aalst.be www.aalst.be/toerisme Opening hours:On working days 9.00 till 11.45 h and from 13.00 till 16.45 h. From the Easter holidays up to the end of September also open on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays: from 10.00 till 11.45 h and from 14.00 till 16.45 h.
www.facebook.com/aalsttoerisme
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Responsible editor: Christophe D’Haese, burgemeester, p.a. Grote Markt 3, 9300 Aalst Photography: © Stijn Bollaert, © Carol Verstraete,© De Vic, Tourist Office Aalst, © DAK
For all your questions or more information you can always turn to
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