A silence area is a place where the sounds of nature prevail. It is a place where you can escape the daily hustle and bustle. The Zwarte Put silence area lies in the transition zone between Kempen and Haspengouw in the municipalities of Bilzen, Lanaken and Zutendaal. It consists of vast coniferous and deciduous forests, dry heathlands, valuable stream valleys, scenic agricultural areas and finally some small residential cores.
In Flanders, rural silence areas are divided into three categories, depending on their use. The silence quality in each area is assessed based on acoustic and non-acoustic criteria, indicated with one to three stars. Three stars represent the highest quality level. The Zwarte Put silence area received a label with two stars for the edge and three stars for the core.
In the Zwarte Put silence area you will encounter several silence stones. These are boulders on which Zutendaal stonemason Jos Geusens engraved poems about silence.
You can explore the silence area via the existing hiking trails of the Hoge Kempen National Park. The walks from Lieteberg, with several starting points in Lanaken and Gellik, introduce you to some charming nature areas.
