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Japanese Garden of Hasselt

Coordinates: 50°56′07″N 5°21′21″E / 50.93528°N 5.35583°E / 50.93528; 5.35583
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Japanese Garden
Kōrokan in Hasselt's Japanese Garden
Map
TypeJapanese garden
LocationGouverneur Verwilghensingel 15, Hasselt, Belgium
Coordinates50°56′07″N 5°21′21″E / 50.93528°N 5.35583°E / 50.93528; 5.35583
Area2.5 hectares (6.2 acres)
StatusOpen year round

The Japanese Garden of Hasselt is a park in the Belgian city of Hasselt. Designed in the traditional 17th-century style, it was donated to the Belgian city by the city of Itami. It is the largest Japanese garden in Europe.[1][2]

History

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The garden was designed by the Japanese architect Takayuki Inoue.[1][3] The garden was built by a group of skilled Japanese gardeners in the early 1990s, and inaugurated on 20 November 1992, after 250 working days.[2][1]

The location for the garden was chosen by architect Inoue.[1] The city of Itami provided all financial and material contributions.[1] The planting of the chosen area was preserved as closer to the original as possible, showing the respect for nature of the Japanese.[1]

The skilled Japanese gardeners landscaped the chosen site with a small hill, flowing brook, waterfall, pebbly beach, bridges, tea house and a number of other traditional Japanese buildings.[2][1] Stones were brought from Austria to build the bridges, whereas the buildings were built exclusively with materials brought in from Japan.[1] Many trees and bushes were planted.[1] Measuring 2.5 hectares, Hasselt's Japanese garden is the largest Japanese garden in Europe.[4][5][6]

The best time to visit it is considered to be spring, when 250 cherry trees flower.[4][2]

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "The Japanese Garden Today". www.visithasselt.be.
  2. ^ a b c d "Hidden Belgium: The largest Japanese garden in Europe". The Brussels Times.
  3. ^ "Chasing Cherry Blossom in Japanse Tuin Hasselt (Japanese Garden of Hasselt)". www.theflashpacker.net.
  4. ^ a b Jacobs, Peter; Wouter, Rawoens (2003). Best of Belgium la Belgique comme vous devez la voir. Lannoo. p. 54. ISBN 9789020952087.
  5. ^ De Moor, Paul; Antoine, Jean-Marie; Blyth, Derek (2006). 365 dagen België. Lannoo. ISBN 9789020967821.
  6. ^ Belgium and Luxembourg. Fodor's Travel Publications. 2001. p. 174. ISBN 9780679007708.
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