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The central square of every Lowlands city
Pavlik_NL Says: A marketsquare (Grote, or just, Markt) is typical for all Lowlands towns that have gotten cityrights. one of the priviliges that a city gained with these rights was the possibility to have markets (selling goods in public). Market-squares always became central places squares...
Saint Catharines, church for the "Begijntjes"
Pavlik_NL Says: A little poorly maintained stands, in the middle of the Beguinage, the Saint Catherine's church. Renovations are urgent, but it seems that there is a lack of funding for this. This Beguiange church dates back the the 14th century and was in the first place the relgious...
Diest "Beguinage", a whole town quarter itself
Pavlik_NL Says: The shape of "Begijnhoven" variates, but is often a large carre with a special entrancegate and in the sides of this carre many small houses for the communitymembers. Always there was a chapel or a church withing the building and also a kind of hospital was taken in the...
The famous "Begijnhof" of Diest
Pavlik_NL Says: This easily can be called one of the most beautiful "Begijnhoven" (Beguinages) within Belgium, the country that has the most famoust of these old community-houses. The were started as housing-complexes belonging to a church, abbey or monastery. They were often occupied by...
A green oasis of silence behind the white gates
Pavlik_NL Says: The town of Diest has a wonderful park of which the entrance is situated next to the Oranjehof (visited earlier on the must see activities). This park, "the Warande", is offered to Diest by one of it's most beloved citizens (a doctor, but sorry, I forgot his name). The...
Refuge-houses, everywhere throughout Diest
Pavlik_NL Says: Diest has quite a few refuge-houses. Nicely shaped buildings around a court, that provided shelter for the weaker people, like elderly, ill, handicapped or - moer temporeraly - people from the countryside or neighboring towns that were caught up in warsituations or so. They...
Diest, not a city without a cityhall (of course)
Pavlik_NL Says: On the Marketsqauer, besides the old trader's houses and the magnificent Saint Sulpitius, one can find the cityhall of Diest. This building is charmfully decorated with the flags of Europe, Belgium, the Flemish Brabant province and of course the town Diest and many flowers...
Beautiful old houses around the marketsquare
Pavlik_NL Says: Old town centres were often including a marketsquare. A town got it's cityright which actually ment as most important "right" that one could start having markets. Market for grane, market for fish, market for meat, market for vegetables etc. etc. etc. This draw a lot of...
Gasthof from 1618: Sit down near the fire
Pavlik_NL Says: A very cosy little café-restaurant is in a corner of the Beguinage. Here you can have a great simple meal or a nice cup of coffee or tea. The interior is definately stylish and the fireplace is just magnificent (besides warming on cold winterdays).
Take the time to cool down with a Belgian beer: Inviting terraces all along the marketsquare
Pavlik_NL Says: Tired from walking and all the impressions, then sit down on one of the terraces and enjoy a Belgian beer. These are the best in the world and come in a variaty that is just amazing (several hundreds!). So, even if you're not a beerdrinking, try and just let the waiter /...
Easy to get, difficult to park
Pavlik_NL Says: Diest is - besides connected to the Belgian railwaysystem - easily to reach by car. Central situated between Hasselt and Leuven, many roads (also highway) have Diest "in" their way. However, Diest does not provide that many parkingplaces and one has to reckon with roaming...
No specialities, besides cosiness: For everyone enough to shop
Pavlik_NL Says: Diest is an average town if it's about shopping. On Wednesday they have a market which brings a very nice busy atmosphere in the town centre. Shops are offering everything one needs and the streets are dressed up with flags and symbols to enlight the scenery.
wandeljp Says: On 8 km from Diest you find wine production. (little size)
wandeljp Says: You can prof the local beers : Gildenbier or Bos bier in the smalest café caled Bij de Baas (in the boos) . I can see the glas beer of al the regular custumers haging on the ceiling.For the music, you hear most of it from the sixties.
Pavlik_NL Says: On the market square is a statue and many of you will ask, who the hell is "Nicolaes Cleijnaerts" as well as I did. Well, this Diest citizen was a famous "humanist" that studied in Leuven (university). He was very much studying the Islam, which was for that time quite...
The herbs garden of the "Begijnhof"
Pavlik_NL Says: Within the "Begijnhof" there is a very pictoresque little herbs garden. It can be reached through a small door in the tearoom that carries the same name as the herbs garden, but then in Dutch: "De Kruidentuin". In it are various plants to be seen and smelt. The "Beguinage"...
Saint Annendael, the hospital of the Beguinage
Pavlik_NL Says: As the Beguinage of Diest is still occupied by (elderly) women, this part of town needed proper care for the people that live here and have their usual malfunctions related to getting older. Next to the Beguinage is a hospital, built in the style of the "Begijnhof" itself,...
Honouring the Belgian sacrifices of the Great War
Pavlik_NL Says: The Great War, also known as World War I, was most disasterous for Belgium. As being part of the frontline that got stuck for more then four years, Belgian territory was destroyed completely on various places (most extreme around Diksmuiden and Ieper). Every town in belgium...
Pavlik_NL Says: Diest is also known for it's medieval smith-works. First of all the shoeing of horses, but besides that the craftsmen creating iron fences, household-items and weapons. These rough iron works were for long times very popular in the wide surroundings, but as later more heavy...
Pavlik_NL Says: Belgium is famous for it's beers and I agree, they are the most deliscious in the world. Several hundred do excist around the country, not even counting the homebrew that is excisting in many places and the countryside. Diest takes a special place within this world as when...
Plan a Diest vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Diest locals
On 8 km from Diest you find wine production. (little size)
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Diest, friendly town with Orange history
Diest, on the brink of the flat lands of the "Kempen" and the first slow hills of the "Hageland", is a friendly town with an attractive character for any visitor. Diest has a monumental centre and...
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Many thinks to do in Diest and around !
You can visit the church, the beguinage, the open sport center with swimming pool,... Don't forget listening to the carillon.
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Diest is a small provincial town, located along the main road Köln, Maastricht, Leuven, Bruxelles. Very early traces of human life have been found. Diest knew times of bloom and decay and due to...
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I've got some interesting experiences in Diest. I'd love to share with you the 0 tips I've written, the 1 photo uploaded, and 0 travelogues I've created.
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I've got some interesting experiences in Diest. I'd love to share with you the 0 tips I've written, the 5 photos uploaded, and 1 travelogue I've created.
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