Oud Kerkhof, Cemetery in Hasselt, Belgium

Oud Kerkhof is a cemetery in Hasselt surrounded by high brick walls and ornamental gates with a central mortuary chapel in Neoclassical style. The grounds contain rows of gravestones arranged systematically along planted pathways and open green spaces.

The cemetery was established in 1796 after French regulations prohibited burials within city walls. It served as Hasselt's main burial ground until 1930, when newer burial sites opened.

Graves carry symbols with set meanings: a broken column or tree trunk for a life cut short, intertwined male and female hands for a marriage surviving death, and alpha and omega for the beginning and end of life. A lyre marks a musician, a compass and square an architect. Yew, box and holly appear as plants of death and immortality.

The cemetery lies on the corner of Vilderstraat and the busy Kempische Steenweg, north of Hasselt's centre. A signposted route through the grounds explains the main graves, and the former mortuary building holds information on the cemetery and on burial practices in general. The whole site, including walls, gates and the 76 beeches along the Vilderstraat wall, is protected.

The original mortuary chapel from 1809 now functions as an information center, showing how this site shifted from an active burial ground to a historical memorial space. This transformation is visible in how the building is used and maintained today.