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Visitors to
Belgium often only visit the well-known cities like Brussels,
Antwerp, Bruges and Gent. But a number of other beautiful and
typical Flemish cities, such as Mechelen, Leuven and Lier are
just as interesting - and which tour operators luckily have not
discovered. Since Belgium is such a small country, each of them
is ideally located as a base from where to explore the rest of
the country, especially the Flemish region - and your stay will
undoubtedly be much less expensive than in the main touristic
cities. These three all lie in a triangle just east of the
route between Brussels and Antwerp, no more than 20 km from one
another.
Mechelen
I have visited this small city of about 70 000 inhabitants quite
a number of times - as early as 1996 with regard to co-operation
with the KHM (Katholieke Hoheschool Mechelen), the technological
university of that part of the country, but in the past few
years just visiting friends in the small town called
Heist-op-den Berg, only 15 km away. Over these years I’ve seen
the town developing into a lively and interesting destination
where tourists can savour the daily Flemish way of life, steeped
in history, but also experience modern attractions or tranquil
settings. |
TOWN HALL OF MECHELEN |
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GROTE MARKT & ST ROMBOUT’S CATHEDRAL ON
A SATURDAY |
Mechelen is
situated on the banks of the river Dijle, halfway (about 25 km)
between Brussel and Antwerp. Signs of human settlement from as
early as 6 centuries BC has been found here. During the 3rd
and 4th centuries it was inhabited by Germanic
tribes. The inhabitants were converted to Christianity in the 8th
century under the influence of an Irishman by the name of
Rombout. Today Mechelen is still the religious capital of
Belgium, where the Archbishop of Belgium resides.
But the city
was also important in other ways. During the 15th
century it became the seat of the Great Council, the Highest
Court in the Low Countries, and during the 16th
century the capital of these countries. In 1835 the first
railroad in Europe was opened between Mechelen and Brussels.
Many well-known scientists and artists resided here for some
time. Even the great-grandfather of Ludwig van Beethoven owned a
painting business in the city, and his grandfather was enlisted
here as a student. However, due to financial constraints the
entire von Beethoven family moved to Bonn in Germany, so that
Ludwig was born a German. |
The most impressive
sight in Mechelen is undoubtedly the St Rombout’s Cathedral
(building started in 1217), on the side of the Grote Markt
(the main market square). This monumental building, one of the most
awesome in Belgium, is dominated by an enormous tower. The original
vision was that this tower was to become the highest tower in the
Low Countries, namely 160 m. However, financial constraints during
the 16th century brought an end to this ideal, and the
construction stopped. Today this unfinished monument reaches a
height of 97,2 m. A scale model inside the cathedral shows what the
tower should have looked like. Thousands of visitors scale the 514
steps to the upper gallery, for a ravishing view. On the way up, you
can see the original carillon dating from 1664 with its 46 bells.
The largest (named Salvator) weighs 8884 kg! This carillon is still
in perfect working order. Only 39 steps higher you will find a new
carillon, used during the summer months for renowned recitals. The
carillon school of Mechelen is internationally famous.
The St. Rombouts
Tower was (according to history) instrumental to the nickname of the
Mechlians, namely the Maneblussers (Moon Extinguishers). One
night the tower was wrapped in fog, with the moon projecting a
reddish glow on it. A drunken man, on his way home, sounded the
alarm that the tower was on fire. Torn from sleep the inhabitants
were bewitched by the same view, and buckets hastily filled with
water were passed from hand to hand up the stairs to extinguish the
fire. But then the moon shone through a gap in the fog leaving the
brave fire-fighters in shame. This story quickly spread, and the
nickname has held until today.
On Saturdays a
teeming market is held on the square. Here you can admire the
products of the region, or take your pick of the café’s lining the
square, where you can sit on the terraces watching the crowds while
sipping a Gouden Carolus, the locally brewed beer. On late
afternoons you can stroll through the Vismarkt, the chic
waterside destination for business and pleasure. Try the town
speciality, the Koekoek (cuckoo), a particularly succulent
chicken. From here you can also go on a boat ride on Mechelen’s many
canals.
One of my fondest
memories of Mechelen is the reunion organized by ex-exchange
students (who had studied at CUT) on one of our visits. My wife and
I were treated royally, even with a huge ice-cream cake with the
wording ”To our SA parents” on top. But later in the evening when
the 14 students started to leave (some of them had even travelled by
train from as far away as Antwerp), I discovered that the organizing
student was discussing with the restaurant owner the possibilities
of settling the account the next day. He had forgotten to inform the
students beforehand that they all had to contribute to the cost of
the evening. What could I do? I smilingly (while crunching on my
teeth) paid the more than R3 000 from my allowance (and that was in
the year 2002), saying that the evening was on me!
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Lier
Just 15 km to
the north-east of Mechelen lies Lier (pop. 33 000), on the
confluence of the rivers Grote and Kleine Nete. History has it
that the town was founded by Gummarus, a knight in the court of
the Carolingian king Pépin the Short (714-768). Gummarus was
later canonized as the town’s patron saint. When he met Rombout
of Mechelen, they together built a chapel in Lier, which was
replaced in 1337 by die massive St. Gummarus church,
considered as the finest example of the Brabantian Gothic style.
The interior with its woodcarving, statues, splendid rood loft,
and biblical scenes depicted through its large flint-glass
windows, is breathtaking. The church also keeps the oldest known
copy of the Turin Holy Shroud, dated 1516. |
SCHAPENKOPPEN MONUMENT |
Like Mechelen the
inhabitants of Lier also has a nick-name, the Schapenkoppen
(Sheep’s heads). History has it that in 1425 Duke Jan II wanted to
show his appreciation to Lier for the service he received from them
during one of his wars. He gave them a choice: a university or a
sheep-market - and they chose the latter! According to legend the
Duke, when hearing of the decision, uttered: “O, die schapenkoppen!”
(Oh! the stupid people!). The university then went to Leuven, which
today is one of the most prestigious in Europe.
What today remains
of the original 14th century city wall, are two
interesting sights. The first is the Zimmertoren, (Zimmer
Tower). In 1930, the astronomer Alfred Zimmer built an astronomical
clock inside, with a central dial outside showing the time,
surrounded by 12 smaller dials showing other astronomical
measurements, like the solar and lunar cycles, the signs of the
zodiac, the days of the week, the months of the year, even the
seasons and the tidal waves, and more! On the one side of the tower
statues of famous inhabitants of Lier dong the bell every hour.
Inside the tower, a planetarium displays 57 astronomical dials. This
ingenious clock was even displayed in 1939 at the World Fair in New
York. The original gate of the city wall is now called the
Prisoner’s Gate (1375), since it was later on used as a
prison.
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THE
ZIMMERTOREN |
The large
late-medieval Grote Markt (market square), is surrounded
by some beautiful historic buildings, like the Rococo-style
Town
Hall
(1740-1745),
with an extremely elegant staircase inside. Next to the town
hall stands an impressive belfry (1369), whilst a number
of historic houses around the square complement the two main
buildings. The Meat Hall (1480), the cultural centre of
the town, and the St. Peter’s Chapel, behind the St. Gummarus
Church (circa 1225) are also worth a visit.
Not to be missed in Lier is one of the best preserved and most
beautiful bequinages of Belgium. Bequinages were the
living quarters of religious females, which can be compared with
monasteries, except that the beguinages did not make life-long
vows, like nuns. They had to be unmarried, and make vows of
chastity and obedience to the parish priest. However, they were
free to dispose of their own possessions, and to renounce their
vow at any time should they want to leave the beguinage. Lier’s
beguinage comprise about 150 houses, also with a church in a
small square.
For such a small town, Lier has an amazing number of sights. The
canals with their tranquil waters and small boats passing by,
creates an atmosphere that takes you back in time. It surely is
a small town to be visited and cherished. |
Leuven (Louvain)
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Just 15 km east
of Brussels on the banks of the river Dijle lies one of
Belgium’s quaintest small cities. Nearing it, the view of the
towers creates an impression of a panorama out of a 17th
century painting. It’s origins can be traced back to 1891, when
a Viking army was defeated here. It is the capital of the
province of Brabant, and once an important cloth making centre.
Today it is home to Anheuser-Busch InBev, one of the world’s
largest beer brewer groups, who amongst others brews the famous
Belgium beer Stella Artois. Leuven is also the home of
the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, the university that
Lier could have acquired, as mentioned above. During the First
World War it was heavily sacked and burned. The immense library
of the university was deliberately burned down by German
soldiers, and 300 000 books and volumes of irreplaceable age-old
manuscripts were lost. During World War II the city was also
heavily bombed, so that about 1 800 homes and large parts of the
university - including the restored library - were again burned
down. However, with grants coming from all over the world,
especially from the USA, the damage to it was rapidly restored
so that the building of the main library is one of the city’s
most spectacular monuments.
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MAIN LIBRARY BUILDING |
The university is
not only the largest in the Low Countries, but also the oldest
Catholic university still in existence. This centre of learning for
almost six centuries today consists of more than 500 buildings with
more than 26 000 rooms all over the city, has more than 31 000
students, including more than 12% international students from about
120 countries. It hosts more than 5 000 researchers, who in 2007
published 3 622 articles in internationally peer-reviewed academic
journals! Just a visit to its administrative centre in the medieval
cloth hall near the famous town hall, creates a sense of awe when
you think of all the learned scholars who have tread these steps
before you. Belonging to the University is the Groot Begijnhof
(Beguinage) dating from the 13th century, consisting of
small, red-brick houses. Today it is being utilized as residences
for senior students, as well as visiting lecturers. It offers a
tranquil setting for study and contemplation. Leuven is undoubtedly
a true university city, aptly called the Oxford of Belgium.
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THE TOWN HALL
(PHOTO: HUGO MAARTENS-LEUVEN LANNOO |
The Oude
Markt (Old Market) is the main square of the city. Here you
will find numerous restaurants and bars and is the centre of the
students’ nightlife, where another group of exchange students
entertained my wife and I one evening. Several historic
buildings will be found here, amongst them probably Belgium’s
most attractive civic building (some even say of Europe), the
late-Gothic Town Hall, dating from the 15th
century.
The elegantly
carved spires, gables, turrets and about 300 statues filling the
niches of this admirable building is an overwhelming feast for
the eye: a brilliant tapestry in stone. To fully appreciate this
impressive building, one should also admire it from a distance.
There are
numerous other beautiful and interesting buildings and sights to
be seen in Leuven. A tourist will not make a mistake if he or
she chooses this city as the centre from where to discover
Flemish Belgium.
- Manie
Wolvaardt |
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