The best road cycling routes around Halen

Black devils

Webbekoms Broek is part of the Webbekomsbroek-Borchbeemden Flemish Nature Reserve, a contiguous area of 397 hectares managed by the Flemish Agency for Nature and Forests. This also includes the Diesters Broek, the Schaffens Broek, and the Borchbeemden: Rotbroek, Gorenbroek, and Sint-Jansberg. Several watercourses flow through the area. The most important of these is the Demer. The others are primarily its tributary, the Zwarte Beek, the Grote Leigracht, and the Leigracht. The Demer Valley has been plagued by floods for centuries. The most severe floods in recent history date back to 1998. There were also serious floods in Diest in 2008. To prevent severe water damage, retention basins and floodplains were installed. The Webbekoms Broek and its surroundings constitute a floodplain. In September 1998, a retention basin with a surface area of 144 hectares was put into operation in the Webbekoms Broek. The area can hold 3.5 million m³ of water. There is an inner basin and an outer basin. The inner basin is surrounded by dikes. The remainder forms the outer basin, which primarily functions as a nature reserve.

So-called "Nieuwenhoven Castle," a castle with farm buildings. Since the fourth quarter of the 13th century, it served as a playground and summer residence for the abbots of Sint-Truiden; fortified in 1329 by Abbot Adam van Ardingen; completely rebuilt in 1340 by Abbot Amelius van Schoonvorst; enlarged and renovated from 1521 to 1525 by Abbot Willem van Brussel; the current farm was built by Abbot Hubert Germeys (1612-1638), the castle by Abbot Jozef van Herck (1751-1780); Nieuwenhoven became the abbots' permanent residence primarily during the 18th century; after the French invasion, the property was sold. During the second half of the 19th century, renovation works were carried out in the English neo-Gothic style: a carriage house with stables between the castle and the farm, and a castle wing that burned down in 1932. Inventory of Immovable Heritage 2024: Nieuwenhoven Castle and castle farm https://id.erfgoed.net/erfgoedobjecten/23016

Nieuwenhoven Castle is situated in a beautiful, fertile location amidst forests and farmland. The castle has a cycling café, and visitors can stroll along the antennae trail on the private grounds.

The Schulensmeer is the largest inland lake in Flanders. Numerous benches invite you to take a break.

The Beringen Coal Mine was one of seven mines in the Kempen coal basin. This Kempen mining operation was located in Beringen, but the mine itself is located in the area of Koersel, now a sub-municipality of Beringen (Belgium).

The cyclist carabiniers initially defended Halen, which was soon captured by the Germans. The Belgian troops then withdrew to the western edge of Halen, bordered by the railway embankment, where they set up machine guns. The cyclists withdrew a second time, towards the IJzerwinningshoeve (Iron Extraction Farm), where the main Belgian force was stationed. But just after crossing the sunken road of the Betserbaan (where the monument stands), the German cavalry launched a charge, trapping the cyclists between the Belgian defenses in the IJzerwinningshoeve and the advancing German cavalry. The cyclists were literally caught between two fires and suffered significant casualties. Inventory of Immovable Heritage: Halen Battlefield, https://id.erfgoed.net/erfgoedobjecten/300946

The carabinier cyclists earned their nickname because of their speed. Besides a rock from Elsenborn, where a training camp has been located since 1893, there is also a wooden cross behind the monument with the inscription "To the dead, Aux morts, Den Gefallenen" (To the dead, Aux morts, The fallen). The "European cross" was erected during the 75th anniversary commemoration in 1989 as a tribute to all the fallen, along with the planting of a weeping willow. A plaque with the inscription "Zwarte Duivels/ 12-08-1914" (Black Devils/12-08-1914) is attached to the large natural stone rock from Elsenborn, and in front you'll find the Black Devils' symbol. The information board tells you more about them and the role they played. In the video below, at 1:30, you can see the account of Private Jozef Declercq of the first battalion of the carabinier cyclists. Not about the firefight, but about the erection of a barricade on the road from Halen to Zelk. And you immediately see that the Black Devils performed various tasks in the defense of Halen, aided by farmers and civilians in this agricultural region. Halen itself was quickly captured, however, followed by the battle at the monument (see below). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaWUl2tI3xY