Aarschot. Stoneware!

Geology in your own city? That's possible. You don't have to go far to discover rocks and fossils. In the recent past, they came here, as building material, or as road coverings. Also in Aarschot. We even have a well-known regional stone here, namely the brown iron sandstone. It is probably the only natural stone that was used here from the Middle Ages in buildings of some prestige. Writer Brigitte Raskin spoke of 'the city of chocolate' because the aspect of the city is determined by that brown color. But you could also say that today of the white gobertange stone and of the blue stone. Stones were also brought in from outside Belgium, such as the French white stone, the Norwegian larvikite, the Indian graystone or the Chinses bluestone.

During this walk we also look at natural phenomena such as weathering, krsitallen and various fossils. We tell the story of its origin in geological times. But human artifacts are also interesting, such as the charral grooves and the edge layers. And there is indeed a connection between the use of steering stone over the centuries and the different architectural styles.

This walk has a lot of stops. We then show a separate phenomenon or tell a specific story for this place. But we also point out recurring phenomena in the hope that you become familiar with them and can recognize them somewhere else later.

The walk starts at the cultural center and ends at the Grote Markt. There is no real order in the story. That is not possible because the interesting points simply cannot be arranged according to a logic. But still we recommend to do the walk according to the designated voldorde. We have taken care to include the most famous sights. This way you immediately get a good picture of the city.

Circuit
The distance is just under three kilometers. The road is mostly paved except for a few details and can be done with a stroller.

Accessibility
The city is easily accessible by public transport. The station is one kilometer from our starting point. If you do take the car, it is best to park in the Demer car park. This is largely free and is located about 500 meters from the starting point.

Catering
There is more than enough catering and you are never far away for a terrace or a nice restaurant.