Aalst (French Alost), once the capital of a largely autonomous Flanders, straddles the banks of the river Dender. It is the administrative center of the arrondisement, with schools which serve a large rural catchment area. Cotton processing, textile manufacture and mechanical engineering are among Aalst's many well-established industries; hops are grown in the surrounding countryside and marketed in the town. Flower growing is now a particularly important source of employment. Every morning wholesalers gather to buy cut flowers at the modern flower market (Bloemenveilingshal) in Albrechtlaan.
Since the Belgian capital with its wealth of job opportunities lies only 28km/17miles to the southeast, many of Aalst's residents are commuters who work in the Brussels area.
Aalst Castle is mentioned in documents dating from as early as 866. The town itself received its charter in 1164 having previously been granted in fief to the counts of Flanders. In the Middle Ages, because of its location on the navigable Dender and the trade route between Bruges and Cologne, Aalst quickly developed into the major center of the Flemish county of that name. During the Netherlands' long struggle for independence the town was the scene of repeated fighting in which many of its inhabitants were killed and numerous of its buildings destroyed or damaged. The same fate befell it at the time of Louis XIV's wars and again in the two World Wars. A number of buildings of historic interest have nevertheless survived.
The printer Dirk Martens (1446-1534) and the priest Adolf Daens (1839-1907) were both born in Aalst. The Flemish writer Louis Paul Boon also lived there.
The Original Town Hall in Aalast was begun in the early 13th C and is an excellent example of the changing face of Gothic architecture over a 300 year period.
To the east 3km/2miles lies the Abdij van Affligem, founded by Benedictine monks in 1083. The old abbey was largely destroyed in 1797 by French Revolutionary troops. Rebuilding began in 1869 and has continued in a variety of architectural styles. Parts of the original 12th and 13th C. nave can be seen in the garden.
Abdij van Affligem Museum
The abbey houses a museum in which items of archaeological interest from the grounds are displayed.
Built between 1630 and 1634, the brick and sandstone Flemish Late Renaissance Borse van Amsterdam (Amsterdam Bourse) on the west side of the Grote Markt was once the site of the Vrije Vleeshuis (Butchers' Hall) and then later the headquarters of the Barbaristes, a literary guild. Above its arcaded lower story rise four round Baroque gables and a slender central tower (1908).
Address: Borse van Amsterdam, Grote Markt 26, B-9300 Aalst, Belgium
The original Sint-Margarethakerk in Baardegem (8km/5mi east), a three-aisle Late Romanesque church first constructed in 1260, was extensively damaged by fire in 1592. Restored in the 17th C. and partly rebuilt, further restoration work in 1969 revealed the choir to have been part of a 10th C. pre-Romanesque hall church.
Of the once thriving béguinage in Pontstraat to the southeast of Sint-Martinuskerk only the Neo-Baroque Sint-Antoniuskapel and Neo-Classical Sint-Catherinekerk remain.
One of Aalst's major attractions is its carnival which opens on the Sunday before Shrove Tuesday with a "Parade of the Giants", among them Aalst's "own" giant Ross Bayard. The celebrations continue on the Monday with onion throwing from the Belfry and end on Tuesday with the procession of "Vuil Jeannetten" ("Dirty Jeanette").
Gijzegem, 12km/7mi northeast of Aalst, is noteworthy for a farm dating back to 1688. This originally belonged to Gijzegem Castle of which, with the exception of two pavilions, no trace now remains. Its name however lives on as that of the farm, known today as "Hof van Gijzegem" or "Neerhof".
At Moorsel, 5km/3miles east of Aalst, there is a moated castle (waterkasteel). This Renaissance château, constructed entirely in red brick, was built in 1520 as a summer residence by Charles de Croy, Abbot of Affligem and later Cardinal of Tournai. According to tradition, Moorsel's 13th-15th C. Sint-Martinuskerk grew out of a seventh C. communion chapel dedicated to St Gudula. The present church contains three Baroque altars by Jacob Ulner.
Items on display include chains of office belonging to the various guilds, mementos of the Battle of the Golden Spurs, carnival costumes and furniture.
The Stadhuis (Town Hall) on the opposite side of the market square was rebuilt in 1830, at which time it acquired its Roccoco facade and Late Neo-Classical banqueting hall. The original building, the "Landhuis", constructed between 1643 and 1645, was the meeting place of he Aalst provincial assembly which represented not just Aalst itself but also Geraardsbergen and 150 rural parishes.
Read More
Read Less
Read More
Original Town Hall
Read Less
Read More
Baardegem - St Margarethakerk, Belgium
