"Lier - my hometown, my love, ma belle" a Lier Travel Page by Maeve_81

Lier dates back a long time.
The first mentioning of a place called Ledi is in 870.
Ledi was located on the merge of the rivers 'Kleine Nete' and 'Grote Nete', where they become the river 'Nete'.
It's obvious that Lier is build out of various islands, as a lot of the street names or areas refer to water.
In 1212 we became a city, rich and economical important. And it still is.

According the legend, St-Gummarus was a rich man who lived on one of the many isles of Lier, Nivesdunc. He was married with Grimmara, an evil woman.
Once she refused the workers on their lands to drink, but Gummarus planted his staff in the ground and water welled up.
An other legend of St-Gummarus is that he repaired a tree that was cut in two with his belt.
So he became patron of fractures and troubles in marriages.
We celebrate him on the 11th of october.

This is our nickname 'Schapekoppen' (i.e. sheepheads). And yes, we are proud of it!
In late medieval times, the government rewarded Lier for it's economical grow. They got the choice between a university or a sheep-market. They chose the market.
It seems stupid nowadays, but at that moment it was just the smart thing to do.