Page 163 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Belgium & Luxembourg

ANT WERP, FLEMISH BR ABANT AND LIMBURG  161

5 Abdij Tongerlo watchtower that now houses
the clocks and workshop of
Abdijstraat 40; 40 km (25 miles) SE
of Antwerp. Road: Map D1. Tel (014) clockmaker Lodewijk Zimmer
539900. @ Open Mar–Oct; see (1888–1970).
web site for details. & 8 Apr–Sep:
2:30pm Sun. ∑ tongerlo.org E Stedelijk Museum Wuyts-Van
Campen en Baron Caroly
Founded in about 1130, Abdij Florent van Cauwenberghstraat 14.
Tongerlo is Belgium’s largest Tel (03) 8000396. Open Tue–Sun. &
Premonstratensian abbey. It R Sint-Gummaruskerk
is home to an almost full-size Kardinaal Mercierplein 8.
oil-on-canvas copy of Leonardo Open Easter–Oct. &
da Vinci’s Last Supper, which ∑ sintgummaruskerktelier.be The large Grote Markt at Mechelen busy
was painted by an unknown P Zimmertoren with stalls and shoppers
artist over 1506–7. This contains Zimmerplein 18. Tel (03) 8000395.
many details now lost in his Open Tue–Sun. & owns a collection that includes
1498 ori ginal in Milan. The copy ∑ zimmertoren.be the city’s mascot, a wooden
came to Tongerlo in doll called Op Signoorke. The
1545, and is the centrepiece nearby Sint-Janskerk has a rich
of the Da Vinci Museum. 7 Mechelen Baroque interior and a version
of The Adoration of the Magi
25 km (15 miles) S of Antwerp.
Road Map C2. * 80,000. £ @ (1619) by Rubens.
n Hallestraat 2-6; (070) 222800. Mechelen owes its riches to
_ Hanswijk Processie (Sun before the cloth trade and tapestry
Ascension Day). ∑ toerisme. weaving. This heritage can
mechelen.be be seen at the royal tapestry
work shops of Koninklijke
The historic city of Mechelen, Manufactuur de Wit. The city
on the River Dijle, has exceptional also has Speelgoedmuseum,
charm. Its large Grote Markt has a an excellent toy museum. In
curious Stadhuis that com bines the north of Mechelen are
a 14th-century Lakenhalle and 18th-century barracks from
a Flamboyant Gothic galleried where, in 1942–4, 25,484 Jews
wing, begun in 1530 but and 352 Roma were deported to
completed only in 1911. The Auschwitz, Poland. This chilling
Jubilee Clock with its 13 faces, on the city’s magnificent Sint-Rombout- story is told at Kazerne Dossin.
façade of Lier’s Zimmertoren skathedraal is the seat of the Just southeast of Mechelen
Catholic archbishop of Belgium. is a branch of Antwerp Zoo,
6 Lier The cathedral took some 300 Planckendael Animal Park,
years to build and its colossal with several trails, exotic animals
17 km (11 miles) SE of Antwerp.
Road Map C1. * 34,000. £ @ 97-m (318-ft) high tower is one and treetop walkways.
n Grote Markt 57; (03) 8000555. of the tallest in Belgium. Its interior RSint-Romboutskathedraal
( Sat. ∑ visitlier.be is part Gothic, part Baroque, and
has many prized paintings, Sint-Romboutshof. Tel (015) 297655.
Built where the rivers Grote Nete includ ing a Crucifixion (1627) by Open 1:30–5:30pm daily (Tower:
1–6pm Thu–Tue). 8 for tower.
and Kleine Nete meet, Lier was van Dyck. Mechelen’s Hof van
once a wealthy medi eval town. Busleyden museum occupies E Hof van Busleyden
Its Grote Markt is a spacious a 16th-century mansion, and Frederik de Merodestraat 65–7.
cobbled square lined with old Tel (015) 294030. Open Thu–Sun.
guildhouses, an elegant Stadhuis E Koninklijke Manufactuur
and a fairytale belfry. Nearby is de Wit
the Stedelijk Museum Wuyts- Refugie van de Abdij van Tongerlo,
Schoutetstraat 7. Tel (015) 202905.
Van Campen en Baron Caroly, Open by reservation only at
with a fine collection of paintings visitdewit@telenet.be. & 8
by Flemish masters and early ∑ dewit.be
20th-century Belgians. In 1496, E Kazerne Dossin
the marriage of Philip the Fair Goswin de Stassartstraat 153. Tel (015)
and Joanna of Castile took place 290660. Open Thu–Tue. Closed Jewish
in Sint-Gummaruskerk, a holidays. ∑ kazernedossin.eu
Brabant Gothic church, whose O Planckendael Animal Park
stained-glass windows were Leuvensteenweg 582. Tel (015)
given by Emperor Maximilian I in 414921. Open daily. & 7 0 -
1516. Lier is above all famous for Mechelen’s magnificent Stadhuis decked in = ∑ planckendael.be
its Zimmertoren, a 14th-century flowers and flags
A row of high-gabled, brick houses in the Oud Markt, Leuven

160-161_EW_Belgium.indd 161 18/10/16 3:01 pm