The best road cycling routes in Mechels Bos

This monumental piece of industrial heritage was once a chocolate factory. The architect of the factory was Florent Rosmeulen. He designed the Art Nouveau building with a large, striking rose window. Above the window is a relief with a squirrel. It was one of the first buildings in Belgium to be made of reinforced concrete. Chocolate was produced here until 1934. During the Second World War, the building was reused for military purposes, and in 1948 a loom manufacturer moved in. In the seventies, a metal foundry was established. Today, it is a residential area.

Cycling between the terraces, also known as cycling over water, is a cycling project that opened to the public in September 2024. It is a pontoon cycle/footpath across the Große Plas (Great Pond) between the waste heaps at resort Terhills. It is a new addition to the series of special cycling projects previously realised in the cycling paradise of Limburg (such as cycling through the water (Domain Bokrijk), cycling through the heathlands (north of Zutendaal), and cycling through the forests (Bosland National Park)).

Station As is a former railway station on lines 21A (Hasselt-As) and 21B (As-Eisden). The station building now houses a restaurant and the Kolenspoorvereniging (Coal Railway Association) uses it for the operation of the tourist railway line Waterschei-As-Eisden. Station As is also one of the gateways to Hoge Kempen National Park and has an observation tower.

A look at the lake and the nature around it.

The former Rosmeulen chocolate factory in Nerem, a sub-municipality of Tongeren (Belgium), is a remarkable industrial heritage building with a rich history and striking architecture. The building was erected around 1908–1909 by Florent Rosmeulen, a chocolatier who produced chocolate, cocoa, and gingerbread there. It is one of the few industrial buildings in Limburg executed in the Art Nouveau style with characteristic details such as an impressive stained-glass window above the entrance and decorative references to cocoa and chocolate. The structure is among the first buildings in Belgium to be constructed with a reinforced concrete skeleton, which was progressive at the time and contributed to its robust industrial appearance. The factory experienced its heyday in the first decades of the 20th century but was severely impacted by the economic crisis of the 1930s. After reorganizations, the company went bankrupt in 1934, and production ceased. In the following decades, the building served various functions, being used by the military during World War II, then by other industrial enterprises such as a textile factory and a tin foundry, and later for cultural activities. After years of vacancy and decay, the former chocolate factory was repurposed from the mid-2010s into a residential and living complex. Under the name De Chocoladefabriek (The Chocolate Factory), the industrial monument is preserved and transformed into a residential project with lofts and apartments combined with communal spaces and gardens. The impressive Art Nouveau block, featuring a glass artwork approximately 6 meters wide, is one of the highlights of the renovation and one of the largest glass artworks in an industrial context in Flanders. The repurposing of the former chocolate factory has become an example of how historical industrial heritage can be integrated into a modern residential function. The project even received recognition with a prestigious real estate award for the way the old building was preserved and given new life. Today, the building not only commemorates the industrial history of the region but also serves as an architectural and social hub where living, heritage, and modern architecture converge, near the green nature reserve De Kevie and the former railway line.

An unusual, beautiful building with many great photo opportunities.

in the flat Midden Limburg finally a mountain

nice and cool and without motorized traffic