landmark
Leuven Town Hall
A lacework masterpiece of late-Gothic stone, crusted with statues and pinnacles in Belgium's great university city.
15 km · about 30 min drive
EuropeBelgiumFlanders
Aarschot
Flanders, Belgium · Europe
About Aarschot
Aarschot is worth a stop: 5 minutes from Betekom, 25km from St. Rumbold's Tower.
Aarschot is in Flanders, Belgium, with about 28,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Betekom, about 4 km away.
Aarschot (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈaːrsxɔt] ) is a city and municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, Belgium. The municipality comprises the city of Aarschot proper and the towns of Gelrode, Langdorp and Rillaar. On 1 January 2019, Aarschot had a total population of 30,106. The total area is 62.52Read more
km2 (24.14 sq mi) which gives a population density of 446 inhabitants per km2.
It is located in the part of Flemish Brabant called Hageland, located to the east of Leuven. Aarschot is a very typical town with a long history, dating back to the era of the Roman emperors, according to myths. The church, which dominates the look of the city, is built with the typical brown stone quarried from the hills in the surrounding areas. These same hills were in the Middle Ages home to some of the most well-regarded vineyards of Europe. Today the chain hills, which originate in Bolderberg, Heusden-Zolder, and continue as far as Calais in France, are mainly covered with woods and fruit yards.
The title of Duke of Aarschot, created in 1533, is the oldest (not-Sovereign) Ducal title in Belgium (title created for the House of Croÿ, later inherited by the House of Arenberg that still holds it).
While the Church of Our Lady (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk) definitely leaves its mark on the appearance of the city, nothing defines Aarschot better than the river that passes through it: the Demer. Aarschot is situated in the valley of this brown-colored river.
Aarschot was hit very hard in World War I. When German troops occupied the city on 19 August 1914, Colonel Stenger, commander of the 8th German Infantry Brigade, was shot dead on the balcony of the house of Mayor Tielemans, in which he was quartered. Later on it was established that the deadly shots were fired by one of his own German soldiers. The German reprisal was extremely harsh.
Many houses were set alight and 156 people were executed, including Mayor Tielemans and his 15-year-old son. The next day, the entire population was ordered to evacuate the city. Aarschot is known as one of the seven Martyr cities of Belgium because of this event.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Aarschot?
Within an hour or so of Aarschot: Leuven Town Hall (15 km), St. Rumbold's Tower (25 km), Circuit Zolder (29 km), Autoworld Brussels (35 km).
Are there any good drives near Aarschot?
The nearest famous roads are Baraque de Fraiture, Brouwersdam and Chimay Street Circuit.
Where is Aarschot?
Aarschot is in Flanders, Belgium, about 4 km from Betekom.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 27,656
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Belgium
- Region
- Flanders
- Timezone
- Europe/Brussels
- Coordinates
- 50.9871, 4.8369
Tags
Worth the detour from Aarschot
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
cathedral
St. Rumbold's Tower
Climb 538 steps up Mechelen's unfinished Gothic tower for a sky-walk panorama reaching as far as Antwerp and Brussels.
25 km · about 30 min drive
racetrack
Circuit Zolder
A Belgian circuit tragically linked to Gilles Villeneuve's death in 1982, with a rich history in Formula 1 and touring car racing.
29 km · about 35 min drive
museum
Autoworld Brussels
300 vehicles spanning a century of motoring displayed in the grand Cinquantenaire Palace arcade.
35 km · about 40 min drive
landmark
Atomium
Futuristic building in Brussels shaped like an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times, built for the 1958 World Expo.
36 km · about 40 min drive
landmark
Grand-Place
Opulent central square in Brussels surrounded by ornate guildhalls and the Gothic town hall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
37 km · about 45 min drive
landmark
Manneken Pis
Small bronze fountain sculpture of a urinating boy that has become a beloved symbol of Brussels since 1619.
38 km · about 45 min drive
museum
Musée Hergé
Christian de Portzamparc's angular white museum in Louvain-la-Neuve devoted to Tintin's creator, holding original plates, sketches and the world's largest Hergé collection across eight themed galleries.
38 km · about 45 min drive
Driving in Belgium
- Drives on
- the right
- Petrol
- ~€1.74/litre
- Motorway tolls
- None
When to drive here
April to October
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