Hespengau
The Hespengau or Haspengau ( Dutch and Limburgish Haspengouw , French Hesbaye ) is a region in Belgium that lies between the cities of Hasselt , Liège , Namur , Tienen and Leuven and has the Meuse as a natural border in the south and east .
The region rests on a limestone massif that is covered by a layer of loess and is an intensely agricultural area.
history
Latin documents from the 11th century mention a county (Comitatus) Haspinga in the area . The current names in French, Dutch and German are derived from this name. The area lies on the border between the Flemish-Dutch-speaking area in the north and the Walloon-French area in the south. The name pair of the places Heure-le-Romain , a district of Oupeye since 1977 , and Diets Heur , today a district of the city of Tongeren, is characteristic .
The Hespengau is divided into:
- the fertile "dry Haspengau" in the south with the cultivation of wheat , maize and sugar beet as well as cattle breeding , and
- the hilly "humid Haspengau" in the north with grassland farming and occasional fruit growing .
The distinction is based on the number of flowing waters, which are more common in the hill country than in the flat country.
