Lier, Belgium

Lier
Municipality

Townhall and Belfort

Flag
Coat of arms
Lier

Location in Belgium

Coordinates: 51°08′N 04°34′E / 51.133°N 4.567°E / 51.133; 4.567Coordinates: 51°08′N 04°34′E / 51.133°N 4.567°E / 51.133; 4.567
Country Belgium
Community Flemish Community
Region Flemish Region
Province Antwerp
Arrondissement Mechelen
Government
 • Mayor Frank Boogaerts (N-VA)
 • Governing party/ies N-VA, VLD
Area
 • Total 49.70 km2 (19.19 sq mi)
Population (1 January 2016)[1]
 • Total 34,905
 • Density 700/km2 (1,800/sq mi)
Postal codes 2500
Area codes 03, 015
Website www.lier.be

Lier (Dutch pronunciation: [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.

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 on the Ferraris map (around 1775)

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.[2]

Postal code since 1969: 2500 (Koningshooikt: 2578 in 1969).[3]

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.

Famous people from Lier

See also

References

  1. ↑ Population per municipality as of 1 January 2016 (XLS; 397 KB)
  2. ↑ Catalogue Spécialisé des Oblitérations Belges, 1849-1910, Nationale en Internationale Postzegelmanifestaties Antwerpen (NIPA), Antwerp, 1999.
  3. ↑ Liste des Numéros Postaux, Administration des Postes, Bruxelles 1969.
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