Lier (Belgium)

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Lier
Wapen van Lier.svg Flag of Lier.png
Lier (Antwerp)
Lier
Lier
State : BelgiumBelgium Belgium
Region : Flanders
Province : Antwerp
District : Mechelen
Coordinates : 51 ° 8 ′  N , 4 ° 34 ′  E Coordinates: 51 ° 8 ′  N , 4 ° 34 ′  E
Area : 49.7 km²
Residents: 36,242 (Jan. 1, 2019)
Population density: 729 inhabitants per km²
Height: 6  m
Post Code: 2500
Prefix: 015
Mayor: Frank Boogaerts ( NV-A )

Local government address : 		Grote Markt 57
2500 Lier
Website: www.lier.be
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The anniversary clock in the room tower

Lier ( French : Lierre ) is a municipality and city in the Belgian province of Antwerp , ten kilometers southeast of the provincial capital of the same name . The municipality of Lier, which also includes the village of Koningshooikt (with the headquarters of the van Hool company ), has 36,242 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019).

The city lies on the River Nete ; large and small nets converge in Lier. From Lier a body of water about 8 kilometers long leads northeast to the Albert Canal .

history

The city is said to have been founded in 760 by the missionary Gummarus . The town charter was awarded Lier in 1212. In the Middle Ages was cloth industry significantly. In the 15th century, Duke Johann IV wanted to thank the citizens of Lier for their services during his fight against the inhabitants of Mechelen. They could choose their own reward: a sheep slaughtering cattle market or a university. They opted for the staple right of cattle, a decision that was very lucrative for Lier, as only one cattle market was allowed for each region. So the cattle market moved from Wespelaar to Lier, and according to legend, the Duke sighed: “Oh, these sheep's heads”. Since then, the residents and fans of Lierse SK have been referred to as Schapenkoppen .

After 1600 the city's economic development declined.

In the First World War Lier had much to suffer and was shelled for the first time on 29 September 1914th At the beginning of October 1914, Lier was sacked by soldiers of the German army . After the withdrawal of the German troops in November 1918, reconstruction began.

economy

There are many smaller industrial and trading companies in Lier. Tourism is important. Lier is a shopping and market center for the area. Lier also has an art academy.

Sports

The Lierse SK became Belgian football champions in 1932, 1942, 1960 and 1997 . The club last played in Division 1B before the bankruptcy in 2018 . As a successor club Lierse Kempenzonen was founded, which plays in the 1st division amateurs and plays its games in the Herman Vanderpoorten Stadium (13,539 seats).

Attractions

  • The medieval St. Gummarus Church is dedicated to the patron saint of the city ( → Lage ).
  • The also medieval St. Pieterskapelle is the oldest building in the city ( → location ).
  • The beguinage has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site "Flemish Beguinages" since 1998 . It encompasses several alleys with 162 buildings, making it one of the largest of its kind ( → location ).
  • The town hall with belfry has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site "Belfries in Belgium and France" ( → Lage ) since 1999 .
  • The market square at the town hall ( Grote Markt ) is surrounded by buildings from the Baroque and Renaissance periods .
  • The Zimmer Tower ( Zimmertoren ) or Corneliusturm is named after the clockmaker Louis Zimmer , who in 1930 installed his mechanical art clock ( anniversary clock ) in the medieval Cornelius Tower on the occasion of the centenary of Belgian independence , giving his home town a unique work of art ( → location ). Another astronomical clock room with 93 dials and 14 automatons, which was shown at the 1939 World's Fair in New York, is housed in an adjoining building .
  • The prisoner gate ( Gevangenpoort ) was part of the old city wall and was used as a prison in the 19th century ( → Lage ).
  • There are a few Art Nouveau buildings , some of which are listed: Mechelsestraat 63 (built in 1905 by Edward Careels; → Lage ), Kluizeplein 23 ( → Lage ), Kolveniersvest 12 ( → Lage ), Baron Opsomerlaan 59 ( → Lage )
  • The city has several smaller museums.

  • St. Gummarus Church

  • Great procession of Saint Gummarus

  • Town hall with belfry

  • Grote Markt

  • Beguinage

  • Room tower

sons and daughters of the town

Web links

Commons : Lier (Belgium)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikisource: Lier in the Topographia Circuli Burgundici (Mathäus Merian)  - sources and full texts

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ luftlinie.org
  2. ↑ Note from Tourismuslier ( Memento des Originals from March 15, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed July 23, 2012. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.toerismelier.be