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Alden Biesen Castle

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Alden Biesen Castle

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Alden Biesen Castle

Recommended by 315 hikers out of 316

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

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Best Hikes to Alden Biesen Castle

4.7

(136)

785

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1. Alden Biesen - Yellow hiking trail

16.9km

04:23

110m

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

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Moderate

4.6

(181)

1,193

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2. Alden Biesen Commandery – Hollow Way in Haspengouw loop from Bilzen

13.6km

03:37

150m

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

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Moderate

4.6

(70)

499

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3. 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

Tips

Dominiek Van Dooren

April 29, 2024

The domain itself, the church, the English and French gardens and the tourist reception center can be visited for free. The moated castle with the restored apartment of the grand commander can only be visited with a guide or during a temporary exhibition. Guided tours for individual visitors are regularly organized on Sundays.
(VisitLimburg)

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Dominiek Van Dooren

April 29, 2024

The moated castle was built in the 16th century and converted into a late-Baroque residential castle during the 18th century. Following a fire in 1971, it sustained significant damage and underwent major renovations. Today, the moated castle can be used for a variety of activities, ranging from exhibitions and meetings to even serving as a residence for Saint Nicholas. The interior has been restored in recent years with classical elements inspired by the history of the Alden Biesen Commandery.
(alden-biesen.be)

Translated by Google •

October 20, 2024

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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Details

Informations

Elevation 80 m

Weather

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Thursday 20 November

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1°C

20 %

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Max wind speed: 10.0 km/h

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

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Alden Biesen Castle

1. Alden Biesen - Yellow hiking trail

2. Alden Biesen Commandery – Hollow Way in Haspengouw loop from Bilzen

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

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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