Genk

Genk, in the Limburg province of Belgium, is a fairly large modern city with a population of around 63,000. Until the start of the 20th century it was a sleepy little town, but the discovery of coal in 1901 changed all that. Suddenly immigrants from all over Belgium and across Europe (mainly from Greece, Italy and Turkey) were attracted to work in the mines. The mining days were short-lived however. The biggest mine, Zwartberg, closed in 1966 although a couple of others survived until the 1980s. Since then, Genk has moved into other industries, the biggest of which is car manufacturing. The city’s multicultural population gives it a very cosmopolitan feel and it was given a real boost in 2000 when it was finally awarded city status. It’s therefore an exciting destination for a short holiday or weekend break.