Hulshout: Cultural Heritage, Trails and Castle Park

Hulshout is a destination for travellers who want to combine rural architecture, natural surroundings and active exploration. The selection ranges from protected monuments and historic church windows to a hiking network, a castle park and a 53-kilometre cycling route. If you are looking for a holiday apartment, you can plan your stay around whether architecture, landscape or activity should be the focus of your trip.

Cultural heritage with distinctive details

Prairiehoeve is a protected monument and is considered an architecturally and historically representative, largely intact example of vernacular architecture from the rural building tradition of the Campine region. The residential and cattle house dates from the second half of the 19th century. Also noteworthy is the Langgestrekte hoeve Bergerhof, an intact elongated farmstead with an enclosed front garden. Windows with shutters and segmental arches, preserved timberwork and a preserved door give the building its specific architectural features. The farm complex dates from the last quarter of the 19th to the first quarter of the 20th century. Visitors who enjoy focusing on individual architectural details will find different ways here to engage with the region’s rural history.

Historic traces in Hulshout

A prominent landmark is the Mijlpaal Het Torreke. The approximately three-metre-high column is made of ironstone and white sandstone and bears inscriptions showing the distances to the churches of several municipalities. It was completed around 1842, when the road between Hulshout and Booischot was finished. The stated distances were used to levy tolls. The parish church of Sint-Mattheus also preserves special details: the choir contains a stained-glass window depicting Saint Matthew from 1899. The sacristy also contains four stained-glass medallions dated 1632, which probably came from the old church. Those who want to discover historic places not only through their external appearance but also through individual preserved elements will find several points of interest here.

Castle park, waterways and hiking

The neoclassical Hof Ter Borght castle was built in 1780. The 20-hectare estate is situated on the Grote Nete near the centre of Westmeerbeek, a district of Hulshout. Hof Ter Borght also includes a castle park. Goor-Asbroek offers a different connection with the landscape: the area lies in the valley of the Asbroekloop and the Steentjesbeek, a former channel of the Grote Nete, and is part of the Merode hiking network. When planning your trip, this allows you to weigh cultural and historical impressions against a day spent more strongly focused on trails and landscape.

Cycling through several towns

For longer excursions, the “In het wiel van paters en prinsen” cycling route is suitable. The 53-kilometre route leads to places of interest in Westerlo, Hulshout and Herselt and runs along the Grote Nete several times. It therefore provides a concrete reference point for anyone who wants to include Hulshout in a larger cycling loop. When choosing a holiday apartment, you can consider whether you mainly want to discover the town’s architectural heritage, experience the hiking network and landscape, or explore several stops by bicycle. This creates an accommodation choice that suits your desired travel pace and selected experiences, without requiring you to commit to just one type of holiday.

More destinations for your own planning

Other places you can consider when planning your trip: Wommelgem, Herselt, Herentals, Turnhout, Rumst, Aartselaar, Lier and Wijnegem.

To the higher-level travel overview: Antwerp Province.