Country Belgium Region Flemish Region Arrondissement Mechelen Postal code 2500 | Community Flemish Community Province Antwerp Postal codes 2500 Local time Friday 9:42 AM | |
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Weather 9°C, Wind W at 13 km/h, 68% Humidity Points of interest Zimmer tower, Grote markt, Fortuna 2000 Casino, Stedelijk Museum Wuyts‑Va, Laser Shooting Impact | ||
Lier ( [liːr]) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the city of Lier itself and the village of Koningshooikt. As of January 1, 2010 Lier had a total population of 33,930. The total area is 49.70 km² which gives a population density of 669 inhabitants per km².
Contents
- Map of 2500 Lier Belgium
- History
- Postal history
- Places of interest
- Fata Morgana
- Famous people from Lier
- References
Map of 2500 Lier, Belgium
Lier is known for its beers, including 'Caves', its patron saint 'St. Gummarus' and the tart 'Lierse vlaaikes'.
It is also home to Van Hool (in Koningshooikt), one of the largest manufacturers of buses and coaches.
There are two main football clubs Lierse S.K. (Belgian Second Division) and K. Lyra T.S.V. (Belgian Promotion) are based in Lier.
History
Lier was in 1496 the scene of a significant marriage in European history, when Philip the Handsome, son of Maximilian of Austria, married Joanna of Castile. The son born out of this marriage, Charles V (born in Ghent, 1500), would later rule over the combined Austrian & Spanish empires.
King Christian II of Denmark and his wife Isabella (sister to Charles V and, as Queen, known as Elisabeth) lived in Lier from 1523 after he had been driven out of Denmark by the nobility. He was waiting there in vain, hoping to get military support from his brother in law. He tried to regain the throne of Denmark but was taken prisoner and spent the rest of his life detained in Sønderborg and Kalundborg castles in Denmark. Isabella died in 1526 at the castle of Zwijnaarde, another Flemish city.
Postal history
The LIERRE post-office opened before 1830. It used a postal code 74 (before 1864), and 218 with points before 1874. KONINGSHOYCKT opened on 5 March 1907.
Postal code since 1969: 2500 (Koningshooikt: 2578 in 1969).
Places of interest
Lier is a well-known nightlife center in Flanders. Its clubs, such as La Rocca, are well known throughout the region. There are over 70 bars within the city boundaries, the ones around the Zimmerplein being the most lively during summer.
Fata Morgana
In 2004, Lier was the host for the third episode of Fata Morgana, the TV-show in which Belgian celebrities gave a city or town several challenges. The theme was "Lier 2020" and the inhabitants succeeded in completing all challenges.