Mechelen

Mechelen was the capital of the Burgundian Netherlands under Margaret of Austria in the early sixteenth century, which is why a city of this size has palaces and a cathedral out of proportion to it. St Rumbold's tower was designed to reach around 170 metres and stopped at 97 when the money ran out, leaving a flat top that can be climbed by 538 steps to a skywalk with a view to Antwerp and Brussels; it holds two carillons and is part of the Belfries World Heritage listing. Margaret of Austria's palace, the Great Beguinage and a run of guild houses on the Grote Markt survive. The city has more carillon tradition than anywhere, with a royal carillon school, and the toy museum and the Kazerne Dossin memorial are here.

History

La Tène finds around Mechelen include an oak dugout canoe 8.4 metres long and a settlement of some five wooden houses at Nekkerspoel, and Roman roads and ruins show Gallo-Roman settlement; tradition credits the missionary St Rumbold with converting the area in the 7th or 8th century, and work on his church, now the cathedral, began around 1200. In 1303 Duke John II of Brabant granted city rights and staple rights for wool, oats and salt, starting a long rivalry with Antwerp; in 1473 Charles the Bold moved several governing bodies here, the Great Council sat in Mechelen until the French Revolution, and in the early 16th century the city was the capital of the Low Countries under Margaret of Austria, becoming seat of the archbishop in 1559 (Wikipedia, Mechelen).

What you'll find

• St Rumbold's unfinished tower - 97 metres of a planned 170, climbable.
• The Great Beguinage - a walled quarter of small houses and lanes.
• Margaret of Austria's palace - the Burgundian court building.
• Carillon tradition - two carillons in the tower and a royal school.

When to go

April to October for walking; the tower climb runs year round in good weather. A day. Carillon concerts are held weekly in summer. Weekday mornings are quiet.

Practical notes

The tower is 538 steps with no lift and is closed in high wind. Some museums close on Mondays. The city is small enough that a day covers it, so it is often done as a half-day from Brussels or Antwerp. Interpretation is mainly in Dutch.

Nearby

Antwerp is north; Lier lies east.

Key facts