Nature domain Kiewit

Belgium

The Nature domain Kiewit is in the hamlet Kiewit of the Belgian city of Hasselt .

In the center of the domain of approximately 100 hectares are a mansion from 1857 and a farm with a core from the 17th century, which became the property of the Vroonen family in 1869. Construction of an English garden , a pond and lanes followed. On April 2, 1942, a Dutch-speaking home for children opened its doors under the name ‘Tehuis Rulot’. From 1975 the domain was given a new purpose as a petting zoo .

There are various walks at Kiewit Nature Reserve. Starting at Kiewit Castle you can, for example, follow the various marked trails leading to the Bokrijk playground.

There are also specific routes with different starting points:

  • In Bokrijk there are two starting points for the 4 km Bucksenrake route (yellow) and the 3 km Parkdreven route (blue).
  • At Kiewit Nature Reserve there are 3 starting points for the 4 km Wijer route (orange), the 1.5 km Haringsvijver route (green) and the 3 km Wilderness route (blue).
  • From both starting points: 12 km long Green Heart route (red) and the Fast route Bokrijk – Kiewit of 3.8 km (brown).

Natuurpunt has been managing the forests and grasslands since 2001 . The dilapidated mansion was renovated and is now the nature point of Limburg in 2009. A butterfly garden with butterfly-friendly plants shows the life cycle of butterflies on the basis of information boards.

In the domain are marked hiking trails and cycling routes that connect to the cycling route network of Limburg. There is a grazing project that uses Galloway cattle . The walks through De Wijers also start here.

In addition to grasslands, the area also has a few ponds and pools. These were created by peat and iron mining. In addition, ponds were dug from the 13th century for fishing on behalf of the monastery. In this way, 1175 ponds were constructed in the 7 surrounding municipalities.

Contact

Domein Kiewit (reception desk for information)
email
kiewit@hasselt.be
address
Putvennestraat 108, 3500 Hasselt
phone
011 23 99 99