Maasmechelen (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Maasmechelen will build a €9.3 million events hall in Eisden and a €2.7 million community centre; Mayor Raf Terwingen highlights tourism, road upgrades (€4 million), and water-based attractions.
As VRT News reported, the municipality of Maasmechelen will build a large events hall in Eisden. The new hall will be located between Maasmechelen Village and the Patro football club.
“This hall will become a true landmark,”
explains Mayor Raf Terwingen (CD&V).
“It will allow us to attract many great events to Maasmechelen. And our own residents will also be able to enjoy it.”
What are Maasmechelen’s plans for Eisden’s events hall and tourism?
It will host concerts, exhibitions, conferences, sports events, and community activities. The municipality will invest over €9 million in the project.
“If you include the purchase of the land and the design costs, that amounts to an investment of €9.3 million.”
At the same time, Maasmechelen will replace the old Lagersborg hall with a new community centre. The centre will provide spaces for local clubs, associations, and residents. It will support cultural, educational, and recreational programs.
“That old hall has since been demolished, and now we’ll start construction on a new community centre. We’re allocating €2.7 million for this. That’s twice as much as for the other community centres, but the hall will also be twice as large.”
The municipality of Maasmechelen isinvesting heavily in its roads.
“The Pauwengraaf and Europaplein are being redeveloped, representing an investment of around 4 million euros,”
explains Alderman for Mobility Daan Deckers (CD8M).
“In addition, the second phase of the redevelopment of Dokter Haubenlaan is also on the agenda, which covers the section between the town centre and the Kotem bridge. We are also investing in new pedestrian and cycle paths, including the new cycle highway to the town hall”
“We want to develop the theme of water,”
explains Alderman for Tourism Dirk Dexters (CD8V).
“As a connection between the Maasvallei River Park and the Hoge Kempen National Park.”
Tourism is also becoming an important source of revenue for the town. Mayor Terwingen said that the growing number of visitors is already increasing income. To build on this, the municipality will introduce a tourist tax. The money collected will be invested in local policies and community associations. The mayor added that the plan could help reduce local taxes for residents.
“We want to live up to our slogan, Maasmechelen won’t let you go.” We want visitors and tourists to return to Maasmechelen, but we also want to keep our own residents in mind,”
they say.
The site of the new projects in Eisden has a long history tied to the coal industry. The Eisden coal mine closed on 18 December 1987, ending decades of mining work in the area and leaving large slag heaps and industrial land behind. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, plans took shape to transform the former mine into a tourism and leisure area, and in October 2001, the Maasmechelen Village outlet opened as part of this change.
Since then, the former mine grounds have been redeveloped into the Terhills leisure and nature destination, with attractions such as a hotel, cable park and gateway to the Hoge Kempen National Park, turning the old industrial site into a major visitor draw and helping reshape the local economy around tourism and outdoor experiences.
