Abdijsite Herkenrode

The Abdijsite Herkenrode near Hasselt preserves the remains of a Cistercian nunnery that operated for nearly six centuries, from 1217 until its dissolution in 1797 during the French Revolution. Founded as early as 1101, Herkenrode grew into one of the most influential religious and economic institutions in the Limburg region, accumulating vast landholdings and sheltering a large community of nuns. After the revolutionary suppression, the complex fell into partial ruin — a fate that gives the site its atmospheric quality today. Visitors can explore the protected grounds, which combine surviving medieval structures with open parkland and quiet gardens, offering an unusually contemplative encounter with centuries of monastic history.