Aarschot Attractions
The small Hageland town of Aarschot is situated on the river Demer on the border with Kempenland. It is the center of an asparagus-growing area but also has some industry (batteries, textiles).
First mentioned in 825 Aarschot became part of Brabant in 1172. In 1212 it joined the Hanseatic League, quickly developing into the principal center of the Flanders cloth industry. Its heyday period ended with Maximilian I's siege and sacking of the town in 1489, a fate it was to suffer again at the hands of the Spaniards in the 16th C. In 1782 Aarschot was captured by the Austrians and in the First World War it was the scene of a bloody Belgian rearguard action against the Germans. Between 1940 and 1944 the town was several times subject to heavy bombardment.
Aarschot was the birthplace of the artist Pieter Joseph Verhaghen (1728-1811) whose work - contrary to prevailing fashion - was greatly influenced by Rubens. He achieved success as a court painter in Vienna.
First mentioned in 825 Aarschot became part of Brabant in 1172. In 1212 it joined the Hanseatic League, quickly developing into the principal center of the Flanders cloth industry. Its heyday period ended with Maximilian I's siege and sacking of the town in 1489, a fate it was to suffer again at the hands of the Spaniards in the 16th C. In 1782 Aarschot was captured by the Austrians and in the First World War it was the scene of a bloody Belgian rearguard action against the Germans. Between 1940 and 1944 the town was several times subject to heavy bombardment.
Aarschot was the birthplace of the artist Pieter Joseph Verhaghen (1728-1811) whose work - contrary to prevailing fashion - was greatly influenced by Rubens. He achieved success as a court painter in Vienna.
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Sint-Pieters-Rhode - Kasteel van Horst
An outing to the Kasteel van Horst at Sint-Pieters-Rhode, 13km/8mi south of Aarschot, is deservedly popular among local people. Set in delightful parkland, the moated château began life as a medieval castle of which only the magnificent tower escaped destruction at the hands of Maximilian I's troops. The existing brick building, polygonal in shape and with sandstone ornamentation, is largely the product of 16th and 17th C. rebuilding and conversion.
Stedelijk Museum voor Heemkunde en Folklore
The Stedelijk Museum voor Heemkunde en Folklore in No. 25 of the Begijnhof offers an evocative insight into everyday life in the 18th and 19th C.
