The Fortified Town of Heusden
With its picturesque streets, age-old buildings, many studios and galleries, unique shops and top restaurants, the charming town of Heusden is a great destination for lovers of art, culture, history and good cuisine.
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With its picturesque streets, age-old buildings, many studios and galleries, unique shops and top restaurants, the charming town of Heusden is a great destination for lovers of art, culture, history and good cuisine. After painstaking restoration works the town received Europe’s highest restoration award, the “Europa Nostra”. Come and discover why visitors from over the whole world visit Heusden, and why locals love to stop over in the town during one of the many walking or cycling tours that are possible in the green surroundings.
Rich history
The history of Heusden dates back to 1200 when an urban settlement was establis…
With its picturesque streets, age-old buildings, many studios and galleries, unique shops and top restaurants, the charming town of Heusden is a great destination for lovers of art, culture, history and good cuisine. After painstaking restoration works the town received Europe’s highest restoration award, the “Europa Nostra”. Come and discover why visitors from over the whole world visit Heusden, and why locals love to stop over in the town during one of the many walking or cycling tours that are possible in the green surroundings.
Rich history
The history of Heusden dates back to 1200 when an urban settlement was established beside the River Maas. The town’s fortification marked the beginning of a glorious era: from the end of the sixteenth century, Heusden offered lodging to thousands of soldiers as a garrison town. In those days, the town looked much the same as it does now, and as map-maker Jean Blaeu depicted it in the seventeenth century. During a town tour on a Sunday afternoon a (multilingual) guide will tell you everything about the history of the town. From the ramparts you will have a lovely view over the provinces of Brabant and Gelderland, the Bergsche Maas river and the restored town. Walking through the picturesque streets and the narrow alleyways you will discover numerous centuries-old, well-preserved buildings and facades with beautiful stonework. This gives the town a charming character, one of the reasons why it is so beloved by artists.
Cycling over the winding dykes
Ten kilometres to the south you will find the beautiful national park De Loonse en Drunense Duinen (the Loon and Drunen Dunes). With its high sand drifts, coniferous and deciduous trees, attractive meadows, lakes and streams, this is a must see for nature lovers. The area between Heusden and the park is also a lovely patch of countryside, with the villages of Drunen and Vlijmen surrounded by winding dykes. This means a visit to the most beautiful fortified town in Brabant can be perfectly combined with an exploration of its varied surroundings, on foot or by bike.