Hesbaye
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Hesbaye (French) or Haspengouw (Dutch) (Latinized as Hesbania in medieval documents), is a geophysical region in Belgium, spanning the provinces of eastern Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant, southern Limburg and the northwestern part of the province of Liège. The Limburgish portion consists the cities of Tongeren, Sint-Truiden, Bilzen and Borgloon, the Flemish Brabant portion includes Tienen, Landen and Zoutleeuw, the Walloon Brabant portion includes Jodoigne and in Liège the towns Hannut and Waremme.
Geographically, Hesbaye borders on two similar regions of rolling hills: Condroz to the south, and Hageland to the west. To the north is borders on the flat sandy Campine (Dutch Kempen) region, and to the east it borders on the valley of the Meuse (Dutch Maas) river.
The fertile ground of this region's rolling countryside is mainly used for agricultural purposes, and in this context it is often divided into two divisions, with the boundary running through Sint-Truiden, Borgloon and Tongeren. The northern "Humid" (Dutch Vochtig) part has a high water table and many springs. It is by far the main fruit growing area of Belgium. And it is also home to some of the most northerly vineyards in Belgium. The southern "Dry" division is somewhat more fertile and the ground water sinks more easily. In this region sugar beet, chicory, flax, rapeseed and grains (90% of which is wheat and barley) are grown in the area.
