Concept

Hesbaye

Summary
The Hesbaye (French, ɛsbɛ), or Haspengouw (Dutch and Limburgish, ˈɦɑspə(ŋ)ˌɣʌu), is a traditional cultural and geophysical region in eastern Belgium. It is a loamy plateau region which forms a watershed between the Meuse and Scheldt drainage basins. It has been one of the main agricultural regions in what is now Belgium since before Roman times, and specifically named in records since the Middle Ages, when it was an important Frankish pagus or gau, called Hasbania in medieval Latin. Major parts of three Belgian provinces are dominated by the Hesbaye landscape, important for both tourism and agriculture, and by some definitions it stretches further: The southern half of the province of Limburg, including the cities of Tongeren, Sint-Truiden, Bilzen and Borgloon. Liège province north of the Meuse, including for example the towns of Hannut and Waremme. Eastern Walloon Brabant including Jodoigne and Perwez. Easternmost Flemish Brabant, including Tienen, Hoegaarden, Landen and Zoutleeuw. Northern Namur province. Geographically, Hesbaye borders on several similar regions of rolling hills: The Hageland to the west is the region between the Hesbaye and Louvain, in the eastern part of the province of Flemish Brabant. Historians such as Léon Vanderkindere and Jean Baerten believe this was once considered to be part of the Hesbaye. The Condroz lies on the opposite, southern side of the Meuse. Like the Hesbaye, this has been a fertile region since Roman times, and still has the same name as its medieval predecessor. However, for the most part it has a stonier soil, and less fertile conditions for agriculture. To the northeast, is the Dutch-speaking Meuse (Maas) valley and "South Limburg" in the Netherlands, which are culturally and politically linked to the Dutch-speaking Hesbaye in Belgian Limburg. In the Middle Ages, much of South Limburg was in the Catholic deanery of Hasbania. Directly east, is the Pays de Herve in Wallonia. In contrast, to the north it borders on the flat sandy Kempen region.
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