By Air

The airfield of Genk/Zwartberg was founded in 1957 is the nearest airport to Genk.The main goal of the aero club Limburgse Vleugels is to promote aviation in all it's forms.From Model Flying to gliding, parachutism and motorised flying.The Clubhouse offers a bar and restaurant run by Josy and An.Bar and restaurant are open every day except Tuesday during the period of daylight saving time.The restaurant is closed on Tuesday the whole year round.

By Train

The nearest railway station is situated in Genk.If your train stops in Genk you can take bus nr. 45 to Lanaken.(Hasselt - Genk - Maaseik/Maastricht).In Maastricht there is also an railway station.When you arrive in Schiphol - Amsterdam you can take a train at Schiphol Airport straight to Maastricht almost every hour (sometimes even 2 times an hour).From Maastricht it takes only 15 minutes to get to Lanaken.

Hoge Kempen National Park, Europlanetarium Genk, Motives Festival, Manifesta, Bokrijk open air museum, Emile Van Doren Museum, Swingin Genk Festival

Hoge Kempen National Park

is the first National Park in the Flemish Region in Belgium.It is located in the East of the Province of Limburg, between Genk and the Meuse Valley.It was opened in March 2006.Covering almost 60 square kilometres, it forms part of the Natura 2000 network.The area is mostly heathland and pine forest.In May 2011 it was placed on UNESCO's Tentative List for consideration as a World Heritage Site.Near the National Park Hoge Kempen are a number of special hiking areas: Dunes in Opglabbeek, Meeuwen-Gruitrode, Maaseik and Bree - Peer and Abeekvallei in Meeuwen-Gruitrode.The Hoge Kempen National Park is easily accessible by car from the E314 at exit 32 or 33.From these exits are close to 5 local gateways.

Europlanetarium Genk

is a people's observatory and planetarium in Genk, Belgium.Lode Vanhoutte from Genk started the Young Researchers for Genk following the moon landing in 1969.They did popular scientific work, many subjects were treated but astronomy turned out to be the most interesting one and they found a home base with the Association For Astronomy (AFA).The observatories of Grimbergen and Hove were already operating for many years at that time.The AFA and especially Armand Pien (former television weatherman) suggested to expand a full people’s observatory in every Flemish province.Some people thought to place the third Flemish people’s observatory in Genk.At first there would come a small ground floor observatory, but the plans got bigger and bigger constantly.The finishing year would be 1983.The active members of the observatory finished beside the self built dome also a large part of the interior design. The eventual opening was in 1984.The geological garden Georama was officially occupied on 9 July 1988, with this a special valuable link was added to the chain of attractive elements that makes this colourful municipality to the attraction of Limburg par excellence.Georama is truly a unique and informative scheme.A scientific image of 570 million years geological history is reproduced here in an utmost pleasant style and this in such a way that it can captivate and appeal to both the specialist, the student or the passer-by.

Motives Festival

Genk is home of Motives Festival, an annual event taking place in November and celebrating new sounds of jazz.Recent performers have included the fiery piano jazz of Esbjörn Svensson Trio, funky saxman Joshua Redman and futuristic electronics wizard Leafcutter John.Another musical event, Genk on Stage takes place during three days in the summer.Genk is also rich in tradition, with a colourful carnival taking place around Ash Wednesday, the May celebrations featuring the May Queen, a flowers parade and a huge fireworks finale, and finally the Saint Martin procession, in honour of Saint Martin of Tours, one of the most popular saints in Flanders.

Manifesta

In 2012 Genk will be host to Manifesta.The roving European Biennial of Contemporary Art, together with events such as the biennial of Venice and the Documenta in Kassel, Manifesta is one of the foremost art events of Europe.Manifesta 9 will take place from June 2 until September 30, 2012.

Bokrijk open air museum

The biggest tourist attraction of Genk is Bokrijk an open-air museum consisting of authentic relocated buildings (mainly dating from 17th till 19th century) from all over Flanders.In the summer season, historical Flanders comes alive in Bokrijk through numerous actors and re-enactment events.On the March 21, 1938 the province of Limburg acquired Bokrijk. Governor of Hubert Verwilghen inspired the acquisition.Verwilghen strived for the creation of a public domaine that would combine culture and nature.His vision would be realized years later under the dynamic impuls of provincial governor Louis Roppe.On October 6, 1953 Provincial Council of the Province of Limburg decided to create an open air museum in Bokrijk.With the post-war industrial revolution and the increasing development projects of the Fifties Flanders living environment was drastically changing. Agricultural buildings of important cultural and historical value for Flanders were disappearing from the landscape.Dr. Jozef Weyns was appointed to coordinate the project and remained in function as first conservator of the Open Air Museum of Bokrijk.The museum opened to the public on April 12, 1958 as contribution of the province of Limburg to the Expo '58 (Brussels World’s Fair).

Emile Van Doren Museum

Emile Van Doren Museum in Genk houses a large collection of landscape paintings of the Brussels artist Emile Van Doren (1865-1949) and other landscape painters of the so-called School Genk counted.The story of Emile Van Doren Museum begins in 1913 when Emile Van Doren and his wife Cidonie Raikem Hotel des Artistes sell just outside the center of Genk build a villa.The villa in English cottage style, possibly designed by architect Adrien Blomme (1878-1940), looked out at the Genk Mill Ponds - a view that many paintings by Van Doren immortalized.The villa was given the name Le Coin Perdu.Van Doren was until his death in 1949 at the Lost Kostweg (now Henry Decleenestraat) to live and work.The museum tells the surprising story of the old Genck where landscape artists since the mid-nineteenth century, fell in love with the mirror Wijers and rolling meadows. Numerous landscape paintings in the traditional setting of an artist's house, showing an unseen beautiful and green Genk one hundred years ago. The landscape painters who went from about 1850 Genk are often gathered under the name of the School of Genk . With works by Joseph Coosemans (1828-1904), Alphonse Asselbergs (1839-1916), Isidore Verheyden (1846-1905), François Roffiaen (1820-1898), Ludovic Janssen (1888-1954), Emile Van Doren (1865-1949 ), Armand Maclot (1877-1959), Elinor Barnard (1872-1949), Willy Minders (1913-1977) and many others.

Swingin Genk Festival

Genk on Stage is an outdoor festival in the heart of the Belgian city of Genk.It is a free three-day festival each year in the last weekend of June takes place.With over 100,000 visitors a year is one of the largest Belgian music.Genk on Stage was founded in 1982 under the name Swingin Genk, driven by the Young Economic Chamber.End of 2002 took the city of Genk on the organization of the association Swingin Genk.The concept of the festival was changed to the current concept in which both international and national artists and local groups are discussed.For several years we whispered to Genk on Stage festival to a fee, but according to the organization remains the moment free. The city of Genk is the biggest sponsor for they pay the full city festival.

June - October
November - March

Information not available

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