True Crime: historical crime walk through Aalst

What do we understand by the word 'crime'? Wikipedia describes it as follows: "Crime is the breaking of the law, which can lead to conviction by a judge. In België uses the word offense for this. The term can be broadly defined as a punishable act or offense. The concept has a different legal meaning per country. In Nederland the term has not been used in a legal sense since 1886. In België crime is a criminal law concept, which stands for the most serious offenses, while 'misdemeanor' and 'violation' are the two lighter categories. Crime is also used as a synonym for criminality. The person who is guilty of a crime is called a criminal." Murder, theft, fraud, swindling, blackmail, sexual offenses, etc., belong to the dark side of human history. These facts have characterized humans throughout the centuries, and unfortunately, it does not look like future generations will be spared from this. In the Stadsarchief Aalst, within the police archive, official reports are kept that were drawn up against both small and large criminals: from public urinators to passionate murderers, from vagrants to industrialists and bankers. Louis Paul Boon found the inspiration in these archives for De Zwarte Hand or the anarchism of the nineteenth century in the industrial town of Aalst (1976) and The year 1901 (1977). For us, they formed the source of inspiration for this walk. Practical: › Saturday, October 24, 2026, two sessions: from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. or from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. › 3 euros / 0.6 euros (UiTPAS at discount rate) - registration is required › location: city center Aalst (start and end of walk at the Utopiaplein) › target age: from 16 years old