Lier, Belgium

Infobox Belgium Municipality
name=Lier
picture=
picture-



map-

arms=Lier.jpg

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region=BE-REG-FLE
community=BE-NL
province=BE-PROV-AN
arrondissement=Mechelen
nis=12021
pyramid-date=
0-19=
20-64=
65=
foreigners=
foreigners-date=
mayor=Marleen Vanderpoorten (VLD)
majority=VLD, CD&V/N-VA, Lier Leeft, Lier&Ko
postal-codes=2500
telephone-area=03, 015
web= [http://www.lier.be/ www.lier.be]
lat_deg=51
lat_min=07
lon_deg=04
lon_min=35

Lier ( _fr. Lierre) 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 2006 Lier had a total population of 33,272. 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, one of the largest manufacturers of buses and coaches.

Football clubs Lierse S.K. (Belgian Second Division) and K. Lyra T.S.V. (promotion) are based in Lier. Actually, Lyra is the Latin name for Lier.

The patron saint of Lier is St. Gummarus

Places of interest

* 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.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.

Nightlife in the city of Lier

* Lier is a very famous nightlife centre in Flanders. The discotheques are well-known as far as The Netherlands. The most important ones are Illusion and La Rocca. Cafés in Lier are used as bases to start your night. The cafés are located inside the city, and most of all around the Zimmerplein, like Banana's, 't Swingcafé and De Fagoempel! Cafés such as De Fagoempel are known by all who live in Lier.

Famous Lier people

* Anton Bergmann, lawyer and writer
* Cornelis de Bie, lawyer and writer
* Jan Ceulemans, football player
* Jean-Baptist David, kanunnik and founder of the Davidsfonds
* Patrick Dewael, politician, former Minister-President of Flanders
* Isidoor Opsomer, painter
* Felix Timmermans, Flemish writer and painter
* Lodewijck Van Boeckel, ornamental smith
* Herman Van Breda, founder of the Husserl archive
* Herman Vanderpoorten, politician (1922-1984)
* Marc Zabeau (b. Lier, 1949), scientist and businessman.

External links

* [http://www.lier.be Official website] (Dutch only)
* [http://www.lier.tk Lier.tk]