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The former coach house and orangery now holds a branch of the Aalst library. The castle gardens, measuring 2 hectares, still have their original pattern of roads and bulwarks and have been landscaped in country style. The gardens are open to the public, the castle is not.
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The bourgeoisie of the 19th century used the fronts of the former medieval bulwarks for building their mansions. The walls rendered in white are decorated with pillars and ornamental elements and, often, also with a balcony above the entrance gate. Here lived at the time the headmen of the conservative party and, particularly, many factory bosses who had their factories in their back garden. In 1997, the whole complex of mansions and rows of trees in the middle were protected as townscape. The statue of Queen Astrid, erected in 1938, and that of King Baudouin, dating from 1991, form the beginning and end of the row of trees.
The Borse was built in 1630. It was erected in renaissance architecture with open gallery. The building was used as a hostelry along the old commercial route Lille – Amsterdam. You can wine and dine here in a stylish and pleasant setting.
The central market square in Aalst or Grote Markt is a pleasant, yet stately square with several imposing monuments and various restaurants and pubs. It is the administrative, economic, and social heart of town. The belfry is a .
Centre for Contemporary Art
Netwerk offers a comprehensive modern art programme with expositions, lectures, workshops, screenings, and concerts.
A meeting place for performing arts, classical music, theatre, and comedy. The open glass building symbolises bringing culture to the streets and passers-by.
Town Museum 't Gasthuys is in the oldest part of town and got its name from the old hospital that used to be here. In popular speech a hospital was also called "gasthuys". Archaeological finds from Aalst are exhibited and various temporary exhibitions are organised here. In the central meeting place a short history of Aalst is told and at the guests' table you can consult information brochures and books. In the Carnival Museum (on the attic floor), you'll find out more about the history and typical features and elements of Aalst Carnival. In the former hospital wards, an exhibition showcases in an attractive, modern and engaging way what the DNA of Aalst consists of. The exhibition takes you on a trip through the history and present of the city of Aalst, shedding lights on 8 different aspects (politics, war, everyday life, festivities, Healthcare, science and innovation,...) of what makes Aalst so uniquely Aalst.