Good morning dear Scene Walker.
We’re greeted by the chimes of the Zimmer Tower, it’s 10am on Friday.
Today the rain has given way to sunshine, if only it was like this every day.
During the previous walk we explored the historic Herkenrode Abbey.
Now we venture through the streets of a fairly compact, but beautiful city of Lier.
Lier is a city in Flanders, Belgium with 37,000 inhabitants and is a 50 km drive from Brussels.
To find out more about Lier, we have to delve into its eventful past.
In the year 1212, Lier was inaugurated as a city by Henry I, Duke of Brabant.
However, its beginnings can be traced back to a Frankish villa from the 7th century (Merovingian period), when the knight (later canonized) Gummarus, stood at the foundation of Lier.
The city flourished in the 14th and 15th centuries thanks to the cloth industry and livestock markets.
So much so that in 1496 a Spanish queen traveled to Lier to marry Philip I, Duke of Burgundy.
The city’s historic past can still be felt as you walk around.
A good example is the authentic Beguinage of Lier, included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Founded in the 13th century, a free community of women who lived in abstinence and poverty. Many of these grew in each region during the Crusades.
The last living Beguine left the Beguinage in 1984 at the age of 85.
In recent years, the Beguinage became known in the film industry and was used as a film location in: The Claus Family (2020), The Last Front (2024) and The Exception (2016).
If you ever decide to visit Lier, a walking tip is to follow the “Timmermanspad“.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Intro scenes (musical cinematic)
03:22 Zimmer tower 10 o’clock chimes (originally a 14th century keep)
04:52 Little Nete river
11:31 Grand Market
13:25 Town Hall with a 14th century belfort
26:50 St. Gummarus Church (1378)
40:38 Twirling streets in downtown Lier
56:19 Grand Market
59:29 cinematic scenes of the city (no music)
01:01:40 City Park
01:11:51 Beguinage Lier (13th century)
01:14:00 St. Margaret’s Church (17th century)