Sweet City
Tienen is Belgium’s Suikerstad — the Sugar City. Since 1836 the Tiense Suikerraffinaderij has turned the sugar beet of Flemish Brabant into the sweetness that gave the town its name, its smell every autumn campaign, and its identity. From that heritage grew the SWEET CITY FESTIVAL: a free open-air music festival on Tienen’s grand Grote Markt at the start of summer, with a cosy Winter Edition in the Manege. This is the story of both — the sugar that makes the city sweet, and the festival that carries the name onto the square.
A chronological documentary of 42 moments spanning 1300–2026 on Loreline.
last updated 2026-07-22
Eras
- The Sugar City — Tienen — Tirlemont — at the heart of Flemish Brabant, its grand Grote Markt, the Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-ten-Poel church and the medieval town that became Belgium’s Suikerstad.
- From Beet to Sugar — The Tiense Suikerraffinaderij, founded 1836 — the largest sugar refinery in Belgium. Every autumn the beet "campaign" fills the town with the smell of sugar; this is the industry that gave Tienen its name and its nickname.
- A Small City With a Big Heart — Tienen today — the city slogan, the Suikermuseum, the events and the everyday life of the Sugar City beyond the festival.
- The Grote Markt — The vast central square — one of the largest in Belgium — that hosts the markets, the drummers, the liberation parades and, every summer, the Sweet City Festival.
- The Winter Edition — When summer ends, Sweet City moves indoors to the Manege for a Winter Edition — part of Tienen’s "Wintermagie" season on and around the square.
- The Sweet City Festival — A free open-air music festival on the Grote Markt at the start of summer — two days of live music in the heart of the Sugar City.
- — Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-ten-Poel church. The Gothic church on the Grote Markt — begun in the 14th century, the landmark that crowns the square.
- — Wellington meets Blücher at Tienen (1815). Days before Waterloo, Wellington and Blücher met at Tienen — a footnote of European history on these streets.
- — The Tiense Suikerraffinaderij. Founded 1836 — the largest sugar refinery in Belgium and the reason Tienen is the Sugar City.
- — The sugar refinery at work. The plant that processes the region’s sugar beet into Tiense Suiker.
- — The refinery towers. The towers and chimneys that dominate Tienen’s skyline.
- — The Tiense Suikerraffinaderij (part 1). An older look around the sugar plant.
- — The Suikermuseum (Sugar Museum). Tienen’s museum dedicated to the history and science of sugar — the town telling its own sweet story.
- — Tienen promo film. A vintage promotional film for the city.
- — The Suikermuseum, Tienen. Inside the Sugar Museum.
- — The Grote Markt is taken over…. The vast square being set up — the festival’s home ground.
- — The Manege in Tienen. The indoor venue that hosts the Sweet City Festival’s Winter Edition.
- — The Grote Markt of Tienen. One of the largest market squares in Belgium — the stage on which the city’s life, and its festival, plays out.
- — Tienen city hall. The stadhuis on the Grote Markt.
- — Desperados @ Sweet City Festival (2015). A set from the 2015 edition.
- — A Sunday in Tienen: from the park to the Capucijnen. A gentle wander through Tienen by Gilbert Gijsens, the festival’s documentarian.
- — Looking back on 32 days of Wintermagie Tienen. The city’s winter season around the square.
- — Live modeshow in the Manege (Tienen). The Manege — the Sweet City Festival’s Winter-Edition venue — hosting a live fashion show, filmed by the festival’s own videographer.
- — Tienen — a small city with a big heart. The city’s own promotional film.
- — Tienen from the air. The Sugar City from above — the square, the spires and the refinery on the edge of town.
- — Working at the refinery — Jan Ingels. A testimonial from inside the Sugar City’s biggest employer.
- — Sweet City Festival — Tienen 2018. The free festival on the Grote Markt, 2018.
- — Tienen, the Sugar City — and THE sugar factory!. A portrait of Tienen built around its sweet identity.
- — Sweet City Festival — day 2
- — On the Grote Markt. A short clip of the central square.
- — Museum Het Toreke & a town walk (2022). A walking tour of Tienen’s museum and streets.
- — Sweet City Festival — Friday. A Friday-night recording of the festival.
- — Flower strips for biodiversity (Tiense Suiker). The refinery’s sustainability work around the beet fields.
- — The Tienen sugar factory. A visitor’s look at the famous refinery.
- — Sweet City — a free festival on the Grote Markt (30 June & 1 July). The city promoting the free open-air festival.
- — Sweet City Festival 2023, Tienen. The 2023 edition on the Grote Markt.
- — Fine beet sugar in a new blue jacket. Tiense Suiker’s packaging — the product known across Belgium.
- — From beet to sugar ("Van Biet Tot Suiker"). How the sugar beet of Flemish Brabant becomes Tiense Suiker.
- — A vacuum line at the Tiense Suikerraffinaderij. Industrial work inside the refinery.
- — A new sustainable diffusion tower in Tienen. The refinery modernising its process — the Sugar City’s industry, still evolving.
- — The magic of Tiense Suiker, in a nutshell. The refinery tells its own story — the heritage brand at the heart of the Sugar City.
- — Sweet City Festival Winter Edition — the Manege. The indoor winter version of the festival, in the Manege.
- — "The Rose" — trumpet on the Grote Markt. A quiet moment of music on the great square.
- — A process operator at the refinery. The people who run the sugar plant.
- — Liberation festivities on the Grote Markt (2024). WWII liberation vehicles arrive on the square — the Markt as the city’s stage.
- — The refinery’s €5M heat-pump investment. ROBtv on the refinery’s big sustainability spend.
- — Wintermagie opens with a fireworks spectacle. ROBtv on the launch of Tienen’s winter season.
- — 150 drummers on the Grote Markt. "Something you can’t experience twice" — 150 drummers fill the square.
Full text archive: /loreline-text/sweet-city.md
