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Landcommanderij Alden Biesen

Castles

Landcommanderij Alden Biesen

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Landcommanderij Alden Biesen

Recommended by 320 hikers out of 324

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Location: Bilzen, Tongeren, South Limburg, Flanders, Belgium

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Best Hikes to Landcommanderij Alden Biesen

4.7

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1. Alden Biesen - Yellow hiking trail

16.9km

04:23

110m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

4.6

(70)

499

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2. Kasteel Alden Biesen – Landcommanderij Alden Biesen loop from Martenslinde

4.85km

01:18

50m

Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Easy

4.7

(164)

1,118

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3. Alden Biesen Commandery – View of Kimpelvijver Bilzen loop from Bilzen

13.3km

03:33

150m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

Tips

August 17, 2020

The history of Alden Biesen begins in 1220, when the Teutonic Knights Order founded the Land Commandery. This Order was divided into 12 bailiffs or provinces. Alden Biesen grew into the headquarters of the bailiff Biesen, which itself consisted of 12 subordinate commanderies. The showpiece, Alden Biesen, belonged to the Grand Commander. The castle domain had its heyday between the 16th and the 18th century. At the end of the 18th century, the French Revolution put an end to this, because the Teutonic Order was expelled. The castle complex was publicly sold. When Guillaume Claes bought the domain, it was the beginning of two centuries of private ownership and decline. After the fire of 1971, the Belgian state bought Alden Biesen, and today the Grand Commandery is an international cultural center of the Flemish Government.

Translated by Google •

Dominiek Van Dooren

May 15, 2025

You are not allowed to walk in this area without visiting the Landcommanderij Alden Biesen. Several hiking trails also run across the grounds of the Lancommanderij. Alden Biesen is usually free to enter. If events are taking place, you may have to purchase an entrance ticket. Check this in advance on the website alden-biesen.be

Translated by Google •

March 31, 2025

The development of the Teutonic Order in the late 12th and early 13th centuries led to a territorial expansion that extended throughout the German Empire. For practical reasons, it was decided to divide the Order into independent land commanderies or barracks, under the supervision of a land commander, but subject to the authority of the land commander of the German Empire.

In 1220, Count Arnold III of Loon and Mechtildis of Are, Abbess of Munsterbilzen, donated a small church with outbuildings and arable land to the Order. This church dated from 1209 and had become a Marian pilgrimage site.

The seat of the bar, Alden Biesen, was established here. In 1227 or 1228, the Order, in the northwest of the Empire, fell outside the direct control of the German Master, and Alden Biesen became the core of the new "land commandery of the Netherlands."

The Knights established a commandery in Alden Biesen, from which they founded other commanderies in the Netherlands: Bekkevoort (1229-30); Bernissem near Sint-Truiden (1237); Sint-Andreas in Liège (1254); Siersdorf (1270), Sint-Pieters-Voeren (1242), Gemert (1270), Holt (1281), and Ordingen near Sint-Truiden (1622). Utrecht, which also belonged to the original Grand Commandery of the Netherlands, became an independent Grand Commandery at the beginning of the 14th century. In 1362, Nieuwen Biesen was founded in Maastricht, initially merely a refuge house, but which grew into an important administrative center for the Order in the Netherlands.

Construction of the current commandery began under Grand Commander Wijnandt van Brijel (1536-1554). The buildings, constructed since their foundation in 1220, were gradually demolished and replaced by new ones.

Construction of the current moated castle began in 1543.

Inventory of Immovable Heritage: Commandery Alden Biesen and steward's residence, id.erfgoed.net/erfgoedobjecten/745

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Elevation 90 m

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Saturday 25 October

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Max wind speed: 27.0 km/h

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Location: Bilzen, Tongeren, South Limburg, Flanders, Belgium

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Landcommanderij Alden Biesen

1. Alden Biesen - Yellow hiking trail

2. Kasteel Alden Biesen – Landcommanderij Alden Biesen loop from Martenslinde

3. Alden Biesen Commandery – View of Kimpelvijver Bilzen loop from Bilzen

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