Send Gift Baskets to Heusden, Belgium

Before the Norman invasion, the village was under the control of Saint Bavo’s Abbey, according to a document written by abbot Othejbold in the 11th century. Heusden came under the power of the lords of Heusden a little later. In 1212, Beatrix van Heusden married Zeger III, Ghent’s viscount, which transferred Ghent’s viscountcy to Heusden. It was the viscounts of Ghent who ruled Heusden during the Ancien Régime.

Destelbergen and Heusden have shown that the area was inhabited during the prehistoric Mesolithic period (ca. 10,000 to 5000 BC).

Nieuwenbosch, a Cistercian abbey founded in 1247, is one of the most famous attractions in Heusden. It was well known that the monastery existed. As a result of the iconoclasts’ destruction in 1578, the monastery ceased to exist. Afterward, the nuns moved to Ghent, which is nearby. The only structure visible at the Heusden site is the former abbey farm, the Bosseveerhoeve (or hoeve Ten Bossche or hoeve Caenepeel).

A major annual event in Heusden is the “Grand Prix Maurice Raes” fairground race, commonly referred to as Heusden Koers or “world championship of fairground races.” There are about 20,000 cyclists who attend the event.