The best cycling routes around Maasmechelen

Wasserschloss Geulle, beautiful photo motif. B&B as well as delicious cakes and coffee.

The history of the Maas village Leut is largely linked to the history of the castle Vilain XIIII which dominates the village center. As early as the Middle Ages, the castle (then a fortress) was inhabited by the 'lords of Leut'. Over the centuries, the medieval moated castle with two moats and a drawbridge evolved into an open residential building with a fixed bridge over the remaining moat, surrounded by a vast park in English landscape style. A stately avenue connects the village square with the castle.

Beautiful cycle path towards Itteren

Old coal winding towers near Maasmechelen

St. Barbara's Church is the parish church of Eisden-Tuinwijk in Eisden and a so-called mining cathedral. The church was built after the Eisden coal mine was constructed and put into production in 1923, leading to the construction of several towns under the name Eisden-Tuinwijk. These were located west of the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal. This led to a sharp population increase, creating the need for a new church. Brussels architect Auguste Vanden Nieuwenborg designed a monumental church in the Brick Expressionist style, incorporating Gothic elements such as pointed arch windows. The stained-glass windows in the choir are inspired by those of Chartres Cathedral. The church, with its plump 53-meter-high tower, was built from 1934 to 1936. It is a three-aisled cruciform church. The church furnishings are almost entirely post-1945, but the organ dates from 1939 and was built by the Delmotte studio in Tournai. The Stations of the Cross are made of black marble in bas-relief, and in 1960, sculptor Mailleux created several statues. The Saint Barbara statue on the facade dates from 1982. The church is surrounded by various related buildings, such as schools, a monastery, and a parish center. Source: Wikipedia

It's simply amazing what's been done here with the former mining site. I hadn't even heard of it until today, and I'm absolutely thrilled. ;-)

Along the Meuse you will find many nature reserves, such as Maasweerd. These areas serve as natural flood areas, because the Meuse can regularly overflow its banks here. Especially for bird lovers it is a small paradise: you can easily see herons, geese and various other water birds. A beautiful place to quietly walk or cycle and fully enjoy nature.

In the middle of the Grote Staat in Oud-Urmond stands the Schippershuis (Skippers' House), dating from 1612, with its beautiful facade, built in the Maasland Renaissance style, decorated with mouldings with triglyph friezes and blocked windows. According to tradition, it served as a shelter for elderly skippers. The guesthouse of Urmond presumably stood on this spot before. This assumption is based on the fact that next to the facade of the aforementioned Schippershuis, the logo, the pediment of the guesthouse, can be seen. In the report of the church visitation from 1400, the oldest known church visitation that took place in Oud Urmond, it is noted, among other things, that Urmond possessed a St. Nicholas altar, a sacristy, and also a hospitale or guesthouse next to the church. Church visitations were held at that time to detect and remedy abuses within parishes. Everywhere, the drost, members of the knighthood, the schout, aldermen, and churchwardens had to be summoned and heard, concerning priests and chaplains, their doctrine and life, their official duties, and their relationship to church order. There were formerly 2 types of poor; the house poor and the Holy Spirit poor. The house poor were members of the parish who received their food from the municipality, the community. Their possessions were managed by the poor master. Holy Spirit poor were needy people who came from elsewhere, were in transit, and thus were not part of the parish community. They were therefore strangers, travellers. To feed and house these people, a guesthouse had been built next to the church. This guesthouse was managed by a guesthouse master who had to care for the guests. The clergy provided their support and protection to these guesthouses. The pediment, dating from 1570, depicting the Holy Spirit in the form of a white dove, with the inscription: *AU Saint Esprit* 1570* (In the Holy Spirit), was probably located in the facade above the entrance to the guesthouse. There is no certainty about this; it was also said that Walloon skippers might have brought the pediment with them. Source: https://kleinemonumentenstein.nl/monumenten/muurversieringen-en-iconen/timpaan-in-fronton-oud-urmond