An industrial city in Belgian Limburg, Genk experienced a surge of mining activity in the middle of the 20th century as it sits right on the Kempen coal basin. Those collieries were out of action by the 1990s, but their imposing architecture lives on at the C-Mine cultural centre and creative hub, and the Thor …
This medium-sized city, capital of Belgium’s Waasland region, has plenty going for it. One plus point is the largest market square in the country, dating back more than 750 years and so big that hot air balloons take off from this space during a festival in September. The 16th-century cartographer Gerardus Mercator was born just …
This industrial city in West Flanders came through a revival in the 19th century with the completion of the Roeselare-Leie Canal. In the decades that followed, Roeselare would be described as the Manchester of Belgium, and has a port on the canal still bustling with activity. In 1875 a young Albrecht Rodenbach, who later became …
One of Belgium’s oldest cities has a central square over a Gallo-Roman cemetery, and was the birthplace of Clovis I (466-511), founder of the Merovingian dynasty. Grand Place, lovingly reconstructed after firebomb raids in 1940, has a rare concentration of historical buildings. There are two World Heritage Sites here; a magnificent Romanesque-Gothic cathedral and a …
In Medieval times this city on the Leie was powered by a lucrative flax and linen industry, generating trade with England and France. Kortrijk also has a certain prestige for the Battle of the Golden Spurs (1302) a victory for Flanders against the French, now marked by a national holiday for the Flemish Community. Later, …
On what used to be Belgium’s industrial backbone, La Louvière is a city known for its feats of industrial ingenuity. There are two UNESCO World Heritage Sites along these lines. One is a set of four century-old hydraulic boat elevators on the Canal du Centre, on epic metal frames and lifting vessels as high as …
The capital of Belgian Limburg is a sociable, pedestrian-friendly kind of place with a fashion scene, spellbinding street art and history-rich countryside on its fringes. One nearby site is Herkenrode Abbey, where the surviving buildings hint at the size and finery of a complex that met its end more than 200 years ago. The old …
A city steeped in maritime history, New London is on the natural harbor of the Thames River just before it flows into Long Island Sound. Two hundred years ago New London was one of the top whaling ports in the world. During that heyday in 1839 it was also the landing point of The Amistad, …
In Greater New Haven, the town of East Haven is a matter of minutes east of its big sister, but very much its own place. In summer the town’s beach is a blissful spot to kick back by Long Island Sound. I’m a big fan of the great little seafood restaurant, conveniently located just behind. …
Inhabited by Europeans from the end of the 17th century, the small town of South Windsor is on the east bank of the Connecticut River, close to Hartford. Tobacco was once a lifeblood for the town, and was grown in the Connecticut River Valley since colonization. The industry reached its zenith here in the first …