Lier, Belgium

Lier
Lier
; Flag	; Coat of arms
	Lier, Belgium Location in Belgium
	Coordinates: 51°08′N 04°34′E / 51.133°N 4.567°E
Country	Belgium
Region	Flemish Region
Community	Flemish Community
Province	Antwerp
Arrondissement	Mechelen
	Government
• Mayor	Marleen Vanderpoorten (VLD)
• Governing party/ies	VLD, CD&V/N-VA, Lier Leeft, Lier&Ko
	Area
• Total	49.70 km2 (19.2 sq mi)
	Population (1 January 2010)
• Total	33,930
• Density	682.7/km2 (1,768.2/sq mi)
Postal codes	2500
Area codes	03, 015
Website	www.lier.be
	Map of Lier, Belgium

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Lier (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈlir]) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the city of Lier proper and the village of Koningshooikt. On 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.

Lier is known for its beers 'Caves', 'St. Gummarus' and the pastry 'Lierse vlaaikes'. It is also home to Van Hool (Koningshooikt), one of the largest manufacturers of buses and coaches.

Football clubs Lierse S.K. (Belgian First Division) and K. Lyra T.S.V. (promotion) are based in Lier.

The patron saint of Lier is St. Gummarus.

[edit] Places of interest

Lier on the Ferraris map (around 1775)

The St. Gummarus Church, gothic architecture, 14th century.
The Zimmer tower.
The Town hall, rococo architecture, 18th century.
The Beguinage (UNESCO World Heritage Site) and St. Margarite Church, 17th century.
The Museum Timmermans-Opsomerhuis.
The Saint-Peter's Chapel

Historical facts:

Lier was in 1496 the scene of a very important marriage in European history, when Philip the Handsome, son of Maximilian of Austria, got married to 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 (in Denmark Elisabeth, sister to Charles V.) lived in Lier from 1523 after he had been driven out of Denmark by the nobility, 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 Sonderburg and Kalundborg castles in Denmark. Elisatbeth died in 1526.