Mechelen

Mechelen is a small Flemish city that is located between Brussels and Antwerp, and that is often overshadowed by its older sisters, Bruges or Ghent. However, this little medieval gem, once the capital of the Spanish Netherlands, has a lot to offer and to discover.

This Flemish city was founded around the year 600 thanks to an English monk who arrived in the area, but its moment of flourishing was from the year 1301.  When the city was granted the right to be a jurisdiction and the exclusivity of storage of grain, salt and fish. Although its moment of greatest splendor is the period of the two Margaritas, Margaret of Hungary and Margaret of Austria. In which the city becomes the legal and administrative center of the Spanish Netherlands. From that era of splendor in Mechelen we can discover many buildings.

Several elements characterize Mechelen and, among them, stand out: beer, tapestries and bells. Yes, the bells. Next we will discover why Mechelen is so important in these areas.

Beer.

This is one of the products that is a hallmark of the country. Just like chocolate, waffles or French fries, but in this medieval city beer is of considerable importance. Their relationship goes back centuries with this delicacy, but if one brewery stands out above all others, it is the Het Anker. Completely linked to the history of the city and the country, they make several of the most valued beers in the country. It is said that Emperor Charles V requested barrels from this brewery, since it was his favorite. And hence one of his best known beers is called Golden Carolus.

In the Het Anker factory (www.hetanker.be/nl), which translates as “The Anchor”, you can do much more than taste beer, since the place, which is in the Great Beguinario. Has a brewery , restaurant, possibility of having beer experiences and even a hotel, where you can rest after a tour of the city and a tasting of its wonderful beers.

The tapestries.

They are part of the most important cultural legacy of this area. It began to be made from the 13th century, but in the 16th century the Flemish tapestries reached such quality that Flanders became the center of this art in all of Europe. Flamenco cloths are the most desired on the entire continent and the most exquisite. Thanks to that, this industry develops and reaches perfection in this region.

In Mechelen, the Flemish cloth industry is still very present. Here we find the Royal Manufactory of Wit (www.dewit.be) which is the largest tapestry restoration and conservation center in the world. Located in the old refuge of the Tongerlo Abbey, another famous Belgian brewery abbey with centuries of history, they are dedicated both to restoration and to being a museum in which to show the wonders of this art, which the flamingos raised to their maximum quota .

Bells.

And last but not least, the bells. Obviously Mechelen, like most of the important Flemish cities of medieval times, have their own bell tower, in this case, in the Cathedral of Saint Rumold, but the importance of the bells in Mechelen is not because of this.

Here is the Jef Denyn Royal Chime School, which is the oldest and largest chime school in the world. Founded in 1922, the school continues to maintain a very high prestige worldwide and students from all over the world come to Mechelen to perfect this art. Right now the school is located in the Sinte Mettetuin, a place that we will visit on our tour of the city of Mechelen.

However, the bells have more to do with the city, as there is an anecdote that shows the special relationship of the bells with the city. Legend has it that the people of Mali are always late to all places, that they are late. For this reason, in the 18th century they hung the largest clock in the world on the bell tower of the Cathedral of San Rumoldo. The clock struck the hours, to know the minutes they had to listen to the chime. With this measure they wanted to try to make their fellow citizens a little more punctual.

The curious thing is that the chimes between the rooms are unique, since they are not every fifteen minutes, but every seven and a half, you know, due to the lateness, mark it a little earlier. hence they are known as the Mechelen mean.

If you want to discover this medieval jewel, comfortable to visit and that does not leave indifferent, go ahead and join our excursion of Antwerp and Mechelen.