"Lier, Schoon Lier" a Lier Travel Page by irisbe

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irisbe    
Always be open to new experiences


Real Name: Dannie: "A smile is priceless. Just think about it next time you are in/on the picture"
Lives In: Antwerp, BE
Member Since: May 27, 2001
VT Rank: 214

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Page Views: 3,647            Last Visit to Lier: August, 2002      

Lier, Schoon Lier

by irisbe - last update: Mar 2, 2004

Once in history......

Lier market direction sign
Lier, who ever heard of it? Lost in space and time, it still remaines a small but gentle little city that hides in the shadow of nowaday's bigger Antwerp.

Once, Lier was a very blooming and important city that earned its city priviledges already in 1212! It was a very rich city.
Raped by Vikings, who came sailing up the river, in times the North Sea was not retreated as it has now.

A future Saint, Sint Gumarus lived here. He commited several miracles during his life.

Lier, laughed at by others because wrong choices were made that would influence the rest of its future in a sad way:
Lier could have been the university city in favour of Leuven, but it choose to have a cattle (sheep) market. For those who know Leuven, they can imagine what a terrible mistake this was!
It would provide the inhabitants of Lier the nickname they carry ever since: Sheepheads!

I hope to retrieve a little more info to add later on.




If you are in the neighborhood of Antwerp, then don't miss out visiting this city. "Lierke plezierke", translated "Lier, the city where every one loves to have fun", is really worth at least half a day, but you can easily spend more time there! Depends on your interests and sportive mood and the day(s) you choose to visit.





Lier is easily accessable by car, by train, by bicycle, by bus.
More about it in the tips later on, as this page will progress.

Lier Beguinage

Highlights of the city


The landmarks of Lier are:
Zimmertower
Saint Gumaruschurch
Beguinage

Worth visiting are:
Except from the above, try to visit
-Timmermans-Van Opsomer Museum
-City musuem Wuyts-Van Campen
-Visit the pidgeon market

If you are sportive you could:
cycle along the Nete canal
make a boat trip on the Nete canal
you can cycle and make a visit to the horse milk farm at the Brabanderhof, where you can enjoy the special breed of Belgian pull horses (sorry don't know the exact English name, but these are the huge strong horses they used on the fields).

If all this made you thirsty and hungry then:
you can enjoy a cool drink on one of the many pubs. Most favorite spot is now at the Zimmerplein and the Eikelstraat.
don't forgt to taste one of those special Lierse Vlaaikes, a soft cake in a crispy jacket. You can buy them in package at the local bakery or have them with a cofee in one of the tavernes.

Lier has signalisation for walking, cycling and driving tracks. More about it in upcoming tips.

You can ask....


People who had the chance to visit me and stayed long enough, were amongst the lucky ones I could take to this city.

I brought DJOatlarge here Summer 2002, he made such beautiful pictures you can check his pages at his extern site with this Flanders pictures.

I also brought my Sri Lankan friend here for a short visit late November 2002.

The 9th of August I went to visit Lier with Tom and Gonnie (Tompt) and Rudy (Diamonddog).
We had a great walk and picture taking sessions, ate Lierse Vlaaikens and drank a Caves bier, which is not brewed at Lier anymore, but used to be.
Pictures of their visit.

In October 2003 I visited again with Aadil, my friend from India. We sure have explored a lot of places: Saint Gumarus Church, the Zimmertower (which left a huge impression on him), the 2 city musea, and we hopped into the Vleeshal to catch a slide show of .... traveling, held by a local photoclub, coincidential!
Pictures of his visit to Lier.
Sint Gumarus church

> Add to your Custom Travel Guide [What's This?]

Pros:"Lovely, cosy, city to walk, cycle"
Cons:"pitty some places are only open to public with an official guide and in group"
In A Nutshell:"a not to miss place at a jump distance from Antwerp"
irisbe's Lier Travel Tips

OverviewThings to Do
Tips: 6 - Photos: 22
 
RestaurantsHotels & Accommodations
 
NightlifeOff The Beaten Path
 
Tourist TrapsWarnings Or Dangers
Tips: 1 - Photos: 1
 
Transportation
Tips: 2 - Photos: 2
Local Customs
Tips: 1 - Photos: 1
 
Packing ListsShopping
 
Sports TravelGeneral Tips
Tips: 4 - Photos: 5

irisbe's Lier Travelogues
Title [Click to view]Travel YearPictures
Having fun at Lier with VT friendsAugust, 2003 4
Trips to LierOctober, 2004 1
Meetings in LierMarch, 2005 


Comments for irisbe about Lier
aussirose Sun Aug 15, 2010 01:21 UTC
 Hiya Dannie. Looking forward to staying the night here next year!! Thanks for the taking a pic of the clock tip! :o) Hopefully we can have a vt meet too! :o) Cheers, Ann.
chbuchie Mon Nov 21, 2005 15:14 UTC
 Na Praag moet ik de Zimmertoren eens bezoeken. Toffe pagina ! Kan je me op de hoogte houden als er nog es een VT meeting in A'pen doorgaat? alvast bedankt, C
jackfruit Sun Apr 18, 2004 01:15 UTC
 I wasnt one of the lucky VTers to visit Lier with you - but maybe on my next trip? This page is awesome and I finally got to see what the Zimmertower was all abt! Thanks!
martin.lees Tue Dec 30, 2003 20:51 UTC
 You truly have some great places on your pages. I stumbled on this lovely place and its great to know more about it. Thanks
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