Kiewit
Encyclopedia
Kiewit is a parish and township within the northernmost section of the Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...

 (Flemish) speaking Belgian municipality of Hasselt
Hasselt
Hasselt is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital of the Flemish province of Limburg...

. It borders on the municipality of Zonhoven
Zonhoven
Zonhoven is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. On January 1, 2007 Zonhoven had a total population of 20,060...

 to the north and Genk
Genk
Genk is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality only comprises the city of Genk itself...

 to the east, with Kuringen, a part of Hasselt, to the west.

At the end of 2007 Kiewit had 4094 inhabitants, spread around 2 main concentrations: Kiewit itself with 2398 inhabitants and "Kiewit-Heide" (heide meaning heathland) with 1696 inhabitants.

History

Until the 20th century Kiewit was relatively uninhabited and was composed of open heathland and pastures between the older settlements of Kuringen, Hasselt, Zonhoven, with Kiewit representing the section claimed by Hasselt. Hasselt became a parish within the Belgian Catholic church
Roman Catholicism in Belgium
The Belgian Catholic Church, part of the global Roman Catholic Church, is under the spiritual leadership of the Pope, the curia in Rome and the Conference of Belgian Bishops.-Dioceses:...

 in 1927, and the population concentrated at first in the area around the parish church.

Transport

Kiewit is on the main road between Hasselt and Eindhoven, which cuts through the village. Kiewit also has its own train station situated in the south.

Sights worth seeing

  • Kiewit aerodrome, the oldest aerodrome
    Aerodrome
    An aerodrome, airdrome or airfield is a term for any location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve cargo, passengers or neither...

     in Belgium
    Belgium
    Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

  • The parish church
    Parish church
    A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....

     (Catholic
    Catholic
    The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

    ) dedicated to Saint Lambert and dating from 1935
  • Boundary marker ("paalsteen") dating to 1666 between Hasselt
    Hasselt
    Hasselt is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital of the Flemish province of Limburg...

    , Zonhoven
    Zonhoven
    Zonhoven is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. On January 1, 2007 Zonhoven had a total population of 20,060...

    , and Kuringen.

Nature and recreation

The Natuurdomein Kiewit (Nature domain) is in the east of Kiewit centred around an old manor house, and is a "nature centre" under the city of Hasselt with an area of about 100 hectares. It touches the Provincial domain of Bokrijk
Bokrijk
Bokrijk is a provincial domain in Limburg, Belgium, situated near the city of Genk. It is mainly known for its open air museum. The domain is 5.5 square kilometres in area and hosts an important botanical garden and Flanders' largest open air playground.-History:Early sources until the French...

, in Genk
Genk
Genk is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality only comprises the city of Genk itself...

, and is also linked to it with bicycle paths. It has a children farm and a project to let Galloway cattle
Galloway cattle
The Galloway is one of the world's longest established breeds of beef cattle, named after the Galloway region of Scotland, where it originated. It is now found in many parts of the world....

 maintain the grasslands.

External links


Famous inhabitants

  • Willy Claes
    Willy Claes
    Willem Werner Hubert "Willy" Claes was the eighth Secretary General of NATO and a Belgian politician. He was a member of the Flemish Socialist Party....

    , politician
    Politician
    A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

     and former Secretary General of NATO (b. 1938)
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