Cycling Through Limburg: Contemporary Art and Heritage Along Flanders' Meuse Valley
In Belgium's Limburg province, a cycling route spanning multiple days links modern art installations with historical landmarks, commencing in Hasselt and concluding in Sint-Truiden. The journey includes stops in Genk, Hoge Kempen National Park, the Meuse Valley, Oud-Rekem, Tongeren, and Haspengouw. Z33 in Hasselt offers regional programming, featuring Gijs Van Vaerenbergh's installation at Herkenrode Abbey. The Emile Van Doren Museum showcases the works of over 480 artists. Cultural venues can be found at the C-mine complex, while LABIOMISTA serves as Koen Vanmechelen's studio. Kunst aan de Maas presents six installations in different towns, with highlights such as Gijs Van Vaerenbergh's Reading Between the Lines and the Gallo-Roman Museum in Tongeren, illustrating Limburg's fusion of contemporary art and historical significance.
Key facts
- The cycling route runs from Hasselt to Sint-Truiden, passing through Genk, Hoge Kempen National Park, the Meuse Valley, Oud-Rekem, Tongeren and Haspengouw.
- Z33 – House for Contemporary Art, Design and Architecture in Hasselt, designed by Francesca Torzo, organises public art projects across Limburg.
- Kunst aan de Maas features six permanent installations by artists including Koen Vanmechelen, Germaine Kruip, Laure Prouvost, Adrien Tirtiaux and Jennifer Tee.
- Jennifer Tee's Womb of Time, a 24-by-31-metre installation at Vilain XIIII Castle in Maasmechelen, was unveiled in June 2026.
- Gijs Van Vaerenbergh's Reading Between the Lines in Groot-Loon is a ten-metre-high, thirty-tonne steel structure replicating a church silhouette.
- The Emile Van Doren Museum in Genk documents over 480 artists who painted the Kempen landscape before industrialisation.
- C-mine in Winterslag, a former coal mine that operated until 1988, now houses cultural and design spaces.
- The Gallo-Roman Museum in Tongeren was named European Museum of the Year in 2011.
Entities
Artists
- Francesca Torzo
- Gijs Van Vaerenbergh
- Pieterjan Gijs
- Arnout Van Vaerenbergh
- Emile Van Doren
- Koen Vanmechelen
- Germaine Kruip
- Laure Prouvost
- Adrien Tirtiaux
- Jennifer Tee
- Mark Dion
- Aeneas Wilder
- Will Beckers
- Hans Lemmen
- Frits Jeuris
- Jan van Eyck
- Hubert van Eyck
- Jules Bertin
- Louis Steyns
- Hans Leufkens
- Guido Vissers
- Andrés Valentín-Gamazo
Institutions
- Z33 – House for Contemporary Art, Design and Architecture
- Herkenrode Abbey
- Emile Van Doren Museum
- C-mine
- LABIOMISTA
- Chillida Leku
- Kunst aan de Maas
- Regionaal Landschap Kempen en Maasland
- PIT
- Mariënlof Abbey
- Vilain XIIII Castle
- Gallo-Roman Museum
- Teseum
- Begijnhofmuseum Beghina
- Flemish Masters in Situ
- Biking Fietsshop
- Mardaga
- Huys van Steyns
- Pas de Choix
- Château Neercanne
- Genoels-Elderen Wine Castle
- Stroopfabriek
- Ambiorix footwear company
- Visit Flanders
- Visit Limburg
- Z33
- Emile Van Dorenmuseum
- Genoels-Elderen
- masdearte
Locations
- Limburg
- Flanders
- Belgium
- Hasselt
- Sint-Truiden
- Genk
- Hoge Kempen National Park
- Meuse Valley
- Oud-Rekem
- Tongeren
- Haspengouw
- Herkenrode Abbey
- De Wijers
- Winterslag
- As
- Terhills
- Maasmechelen
- Dilsen-Stokkem
- Kinrooi
- Lanaken
- Maaseik
- Rotem
- Groot-Loon
- Borgloon
- Heers
- Kerniel
- Vroenhoven
- Riemst
- ’s Herenelderen
- Jeker Valley
- Maastricht
- Netherlands
- Brussels Airport
- Itami
- Spain
- Madrid
- Leuven
- Tienen