The River Meuse (Maas in Dutch) flows from eastern France through Belgium and into The Netherlands, before emptying into the North Sea. It was a critical trade route and over centuries human intervention destroyed the natural flow of the river. By the 19th century, when it served Belgium’s industrial heartlands – the second most industrialised place on earth at the time – it was more canal than river.
Much of its route remains that way, but an ambitious 35-year project has transformed the 40km stretch that forms the Dutch-Belgium border. Starting near the city of Maastricht the river has been returned to its natural state, restoring its unique ecosystem and removing manmade bankings to recreate a large floodplain. It is one of the biggest and most successful river recovery projects in Europe.
The project created the cross-border Meuse Valley River Park, or Rivierpark Maasvallei. Beneath the water, fish populations have thrived. On land wild boar, beavers and otters have returned. Galloway cattle and Konik horses have been introduced, and it has become a birdlife paradise. It is criss-crossed with cycle and walking routes that attract around 2 million human visitors every year.
It was to this wonderful part of eastern Limburg, close to the pretty Belgian village of Oud-Rekem, that I headed on a sunny autumn morning. Leaving the former coal mining town of Genk, I cycled through the dense forest of the Hoge Kempen National Park. Car free routes passing through some of the finest landscapes in Flanders make this one of the best cycling areas in the country.
Oud-Rekem once held the title of ‘prettiest village in Flanders’. It’s a pleasant place with a long history but let’s just say that this is not France or Germany so don’t expect too much. The 17th century castle isn’t open to the public and is barely visible behind high fences. That leaves a handful of streets and squares to explore. It’s quite atmospheric on an autumnal morning.
Oud Rekem detained me for less than an hour and I was soon cycling through the Maasvallei along the river and on top of dykes, passing villages and occasional artworks. One was of a type of Wolf Spider that has returned to this habitat in recent years. I’m not sure I’d want to meet one even of it is a conservation success story. Another artwork was the Tree of Life by American artist Mark Dion.
The six-meter-tall tree is filled with sculptures related to the ecology, mythology, and history of this area. These include a dinosaur and a Wooly Mammoth. The goat with the silver chalice, on the other hand, refers to the 18th-century legend of the Bokkenrijders, of ‘Goat Riders’, a local band of thieves and violent criminals. Further on, I found myself in the quiet grounds of Waterburcht Pietersheim.
A 12th century moated castle in a lovely park, little remains of the original building but it is an atmospheric spot. I rejoined the Albert Canal that runs parallel to the river and headed to Alden Biesen. Sitting in a grand estate, this monumental collection of buildings dates to the 13th century and, until the French Revolution arrived in Limburg, was the Grand Commandery of the Order of the Teutonic Knights of St. Mary’s Hospital.
The Order was founded in 1190 by a group of German merchants at the Siege of Acre during the failed attempt to retake Jerusalem in the Third Crusade. They went on to become very rich and very powerful across Europe and the Mediterranean, and this large area of Limburg was gifted to them. The Teutonic Order was no match for the French Revolution though. Their lands were confiscated.
Walking around the castle, it was tricky to imagine this fairly remote spot was once at the centre of a Europe-wide network of power and influence. Leaving these thoughts behind, the last leg of my route took me through Bilzen, a small town with what could be an attractive town square were it not a car park. Good town planning has a long way to go in much of Belgium.
I had a drink in one of the bars on the square overlooking the pretty 17th century Town Hall and St. Maurice’s Church. Strolling around the centre, Bilzen seemed mostly charmless and was crammed full of cars, so it was back on the bike and onward to Genk before heading to Maastricht.
