"A VT meeting shows you many interesting sights" Lier by Alain_Smeets

The pigeon market

Lier, a city located between Antwerp and Mechelen. It is located in the country side and you can reach it from Antwerp in less then 30 minutes. It's a city unspoiled by the mass tourism. You can easily fill a half or a full day in this charming place. We did this during a VT-meeting and we discovered the nice places in this city with our lovely guide Dannie.

Lier is located on the banks of the river Nete and got his city rights in 1212 from the Duke of Brabant. But the city missed it's change to become a very important center. When they had the chance to choose between an sheep market and a university, they choose for the sheep market. That was in those days more money, but that was off course a short term view. As you know Leuven got the Catholic Univeristy in 1425. And there the people of Lier got their "nickname" from this decision: Shape koppen or Sheepheads.

A bottle of Caves, yummy

Lier is famous for his Zimmer Tower on the Zimmerplein and the beguinhof with the St. Margaret Church. The Zimmer Tower was the former Cornelius Tower and it contains now the 1930 Jubilee clock of Louis Zimmer. The Beguinage is now rebuild into living area with lovely inner gardens.

And as always a VT-meeting is about drinking a beer together with friends while we explore the sights.

• Pros:A cousy town, the Zimmer tower