Lier
A Small Canal Town With The Zimmer Tower Astronomical Clock, A UNESCO Listed Beguinage And Belfry, And St Gummarus Church · Lier, Antwerp Province
Lier is a small canal town in Antwerp Province, in Dutch-speaking Flanders, where the Grote Nete and Kleine Nete rivers meet, about 15 minutes by train from Antwerp. It is a place for a slow half day, not a destination to cross the country for. Its best-known sight is the Zimmer Tower (Zimmertoren), a medieval tower from the old town walls that was fitted around 1930 with the Jubilee Clock by the local clockmaker Louis Zimmer, a face of many dials said to show the time around the world, the phases of the moon and the tides. Lier also holds two UNESCO listings: its Beguinage, a walled village of small houses and cobbled lanes once home to religious women, and the Belfry on the rococo town hall on the Grote Markt. St Gummarus church, a large Brabantine Gothic church, is known for its stained glass. People come for the calm, the waterside, the Lierse vlaaikens tarts and the feeling of a town that lives for itself. The honest caveat: Lier suits visitors who have already seen Antwerp, Ghent and Bruges; it has no single must-see, and on Mondays several sights are closed.
The Grote Markt, the Zimmer Tower and the Beguinage, central Lier, about 15 km south-east of Antwerp, Lier, Antwerp Province, Belgium
The Grote Markt, the Beguinage lanes, the Nete quays and the green ramparts (vesten) around the old town are always open and free. The Zimmer Tower is usually open Tuesday to Sunday and closed on Mondays, with shorter hours in winter - check the current schedule. St Gummarus church has kept limited opening hours, often afternoons and more days in summer, and may close for services - confirm. The Timmermans-Opsomer museum usually closes on Mondays; confirm it is open, as small museums here change hours and exhibitions. The Belfry is normally seen from the outside. Getting there: SNCB/NMBS trains from Antwerp-Centraal take about 15-20 minutes and from Mechelen about 15 minutes; the station is roughly a 10-minute walk from the Grote Markt. De Lijn buses also run from Antwerp. Drivers heading in via Antwerp must respect Antwerp's low emission zone, and foreign cars often must be registered in advance; in Lier use an edge-of-centre car park. Nothing needs booking except guided tours for groups.