We were welcomed and guided through its prestigeous rooms by the Burgomaster, Rik Verwaest. The Town Hall was built in the XIV century and served as the clothmakers’ hall. Lier was known as the second finest cloth producer, in the then Burgundian kingdom, after Brussels and the third best in all of Europe. The Town Hall, as we see it today, was transformed into the symmetrical Brabant rococo style and only the Gothic tower was spared and still remains adjacent to the main building.

We then walked with our magnificent private guides through the town to visit the UNESCO patrimoine Beguinage from the XIII century with its 11 streets and 162 individual houses. The St Margaret’s baroque Church offered us a lovely surprise as it was opened just for our group.

Then we visited the Zimmer Tower. It is the city’s most famous landmark. It is devoted to the work of watch maker Louis Zimmer who, at the beginning of last century, constructed the Jubilee Clock. This made headlines around the world as it travelled to many exhibitions including New York. This clock is so complex that I had a hard time understanding all the mechanism behind it. At noon we were able to admire a carousel display of all the notable citizens of Lier at the time and of course the kings of the Belgians.

The visit to Lier couldn’t be complete without a lovely boat (electric) trip on the canal. We were told a bit about the history of eel fishing which stopped due to the unfortunate pollution of the waters and about the Lier inhabitants’ fight to be reconnected with the river Nette and also about the history of the city’s reconstruction after World War 2.

We all parted ways in the afternoon with memories of this beautiful day. Our thanks go to the Multinational Group for organising this lovely promenade découverte.

Monika Caban
Friend of Femmes d’Europe