The best traffic-free bike rides around Park Masy

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.

The 'De Teut' nature reserve lies at the foot of the Kempen plateau. The Roosterbeek has carved out a wide valley here. Thanks to this varied terrain, a great diversity of plant communities has developed: coniferous forests, heathlands, ponds, and riparian forests. The prominent plateau edge at the entrance to the reserve offers a magnificent view over a large part of Midden-Limburg.

The cycle path through the water leads cyclists over a 212-meter-long and three-meter-wide concrete path, with water at eye level on both sides. Swans and other waterfowl swim along the banks, curiously watching the cyclists. Since its opening, interest in this unique cycle path has been enormous. On average, 800 visitors per day explore this unforgettable part of the Limburg cycle network, with peaks on Saturdays and Sundays, and on some days even up to 5,000 cyclists.

On the border of the poor Kempen and fertile Haspengouw lies the Munsterbos. Northeast of the village center of Munsterbilzen, 450 hectares of forests, ponds, marshes, and grasslands stretch out. Here and there, even a patch of purple heather peeks through. The area is so special due to its location on the transition from the sandy Kempen Plateau to the Haspengouw clay region.

This section, together with the water lock and the outer bailey, belongs to the oldest parts: in the Apostles' House, remains of the late Gothic ordinance from the second half of the 16th century from the building campaign of Land Commander Wijnandt van Brijel have been preserved. The complex is located at the highest point of the domain, on the eastern side of the commandery. Seven avenues converge at the gate, symbolizing the Seven Sorrows and Joys of Mary. To the right of the gatehouse was the now disappeared Apostles' House; it was an L-shaped building of two storeys, with a chapel on the ground floor, and twelve rooms for needy men, hence the name Apostles' House; late Gothic core from the second half of the 16th century, enlarged and adapted in 1716-1726, under Commander Damian Hugo von Schönborn, as indicated by a facade stone. After World War II, the Apostles' House slowly deteriorated but has since been restored.

The water castle of Schoonbeek is a Renaissance castle built in a U-shape with a large garden. Next to the castle is a pond that flows into a moat, over which a drawbridge leads to the entrance gate. The oldest core of the castle dates back to the Middle Ages: in 1333 the castle belonged to the County of Loon. Herman Typots, bailiff of the Land of Grevenbroek and castellan of the Prinsenhof in Kuringen, married Margriet van Chiney, daughter of Dirk van Chiney, lord of Schoonbeek and Anna Vandenbosch of Gors-op-Leeuw. In 1573 their grandson Hendrik Typots was still lord of the castle of Schoonbeek. The Preston family from Ireland bought it in 1780. The next owner was the de Renesse family. Count Theodore de Renesse was mayor of Beverst and governor of the province of Limburg. Another descendant, Frédéric Alexandre Jean Marie Ghislain, Count de Renesse, born in Brussels on January 3, 1904, died unmarried in the castle on November 18, 1990. In 1991 the castle became the property of Count Thierry de Hemricourt de Grunne.

Magnificent view from the bridge...

In the middle of nature, magnificent landscape.