Mechelen Belgium.  A story about a trip to Belgium: a report on a trip to Mechelen. Sights and entertainment in Mechelen

Story

In 1473, Charles the Bold made the city the administrative center of the Duchy of Burgundy. The city experienced its most magnificent flourishing when, at the beginning of the 16th century, the daughter of Maximilian I, Margaret of Austria, became the statholder (ruler) of the Spanish Netherlands. She made her palace in Mechelen a European center of art, where Erasmus of Rotterdam, Thomas More, and Albrecht Durer came. After her death in 1530, the capital of the Lower Provinces moved to Brussels, and from then on Mechelen became a provincial city.

What to see

On the last Sunday in May, the Hanswijk processie, or Procession of Our Lady, takes place through the streets of Mechelen, involving thousands of townspeople in medieval costumes dancing, singing and depicting scenes from the Holy Scriptures. This tradition began in 1272, during an epidemic, when the townspeople first carried a statue of Our Lady through the streets of the city. Construction of the Cathedral of St. Rumbol (Sint-Romboutskathedraal) on the Grote Markt began in the 13th century, when the nave was built in the Brabant Gothic style, and was completed in the 16th century, when a carved oak pulpit in the Baroque style appeared. In 1460, a carillon of 49 bells was installed on the cathedral bell tower (97 m). The altar was created by Lucas Feidherbe, a student of Rubens (1617-1697). In the altar, in a gilded shrine, the relics of St. Rumbold, and in the passage of the covered gallery there are 25 panels illustrating the life of the saint. The church also houses Van Dyck's painting of the Crucifixion and an icon of the Black Madonna.

Ha Grote Markt erected a monument to the Mechelen mascot doll Op-Signoorke (1647).

The Church of St. John the Evangelist (Sint-Janskerk) features a luxurious interior, a Baroque altar and Rubens' triptych The Adoration of the Magi (1617).

The Busleyden Courtyard Museum (MuseumHofvan Busleyderi) is located in a 16th-century building built for the diplomat and scientist Hieronymus van Busleyden. He was a friend of Erasmus of Rotterdam and a philanthropist who sponsored the “School of Three Languages” in Leuven. There is a museum of the city's history here, where you can learn about the traditions of Mechelen's manufactories, see miniatures showing a beguine at work (17th century), 16 panels depicting the suffering of St. Victor (c. 1510) and the city's mascot, the wooden doll Op Signoorke.

Not far from the museum is the world's only Royal School of Bell Ringing (Koninklijke Beiaardschool). Studying at school lasts 6 years. The Toy Museum (Speelgoedmuseum) houses many exhibits: dolls and puppets, scooters and bicycles, including the bicycle that the future King of Belgium Leopold III rode as a child, construction sets, wind-up and plush toys, a 17 m long railway and even a model of the Battle of Waterloo .

De Wit Royal Manufacturers, housed in a 15th-century mansion, offers 90-minute guided tours to explore its tapestries collection and restoration workshop.

The Jewish Museum of Deportation and Resistance (Joods Museum van Deportatie en Verzet) is located in old barracks that were used as a concentration camp by the German occupiers. From here, more than 20,000 people were sent to death camps.

Mechelen is a small town located in the central part of Belgium. Its population is about 80,000 thousand people. It is unlikely that Mechelen will be found on maps or in brochures of organized tourism. Moreover, 4 out of 5 independent tourists will bypass this town, limiting themselves to visiting the popular Bruges, Antwerp and Ghent. But in vain, it would be a big mistake. Mechelen is definitely worth a visit.

How to get to Mechelen

How to plan a trip to the cities of Belgium, how much time to spend in a particular place, a description of logistics and transport - I covered all these issues in detail in a separate article, I recommend that you read it.

Geographically, Mechelen is located between two major cities of Belgium: Brussels and Antwerp. The closest airport to the city is Brussels Airport (BRU).

By train to Mechelen

For those who are just arriving in Belgium from Russia, the most convenient option is to immediately head to Mechelen from Brussels International Airport. The train station Brussels Airport Zaventem is located right next to the airport terminal building.

Travel time to Mechelen is from 11 to 17 minutes (depending on the train), the fare is 8.60 euros. Trains run from 5 am to 12 midnight at intervals from 3 minutes to an hour.

Belgium is a small country, or rather, small. There are excellent railway connections between the cities. Therefore, if this is not your first day in Belgium and you are in another city in this country, then you can comfortably and quickly get to Mechelen by train.

• Antwerp - Mechelen: Direct flight, about 20 minutes, 4.10 Euro;
• Brussels - Mechelen: Direct flight, 25-30 minutes, 4.70 Euro;
• Bruges - Mechelen: Direct/with one change, about 1 hour 30 minutes, 14.80 Euro;
• Ghent - Mechelen: Direct/with one change, about 1 hour 10 minutes, 9.30 Euro.

The national carrier of Belgium is Belgian Railways SNCB. You can purchase a ticket in advance and view the current schedule on their website.

By car to Mechelen

Everything is simple here, we take the car, turn on the navigator and go. My opinion is that rented transport in Belgium is absolutely unnecessary for two reasons:

• First: in the tiny historical centers of all cities there are big problems with parking;
• Second: Belgium is a country where you need to taste a lot of beer. And in the morning, at lunch and in the evening.

Where to stay in Mechelen

I would like to note right away that 3-4 hours is enough to explore all of Mechelen. There is no point in staying in this city for several days. Under certain circumstances, you may not even need to spend the night in Mechelen. Come from Brussels, Antwerp or any other city, walk through the main attractions, and then move on.

In our particular case, we arrived on an overnight flight to Brussels, went straight from the airport to Mechelen and spent one night in this city. In the morning we saw all the main attractions, and in the afternoon we went further to Antwerp.

There are not very many accommodation options in Mechelen; there are about 20 within walking distance to all the main attractions. Below is a clickable map of Booking hotels.

Belgium is a very expensive country, do not be surprised by the minimum price for a room of 90 - 100 euros/day.

Since we only needed to spend the night, we took a cheaper option in Mechelen - mini-hotel Jan Bol B&B. There are two rooms in total. A very decent place in terms of price/quality ratio, I can recommend it.

Mechelen sightseeing map

What to see in Mechelen

On the map above I have marked places and attractions that may be of interest to tourists. Initially, it was assumed that we would spend time in the city until noon and, to be honest, there was doubt whether we would have time to see everything. In practice, it took even less time. By 11, we had walked the entire historical center of Mechelen up and down, and also drank beer at the local Het Anker brewery.

It makes no difference in what order to visit this or that attraction. I advise you to simply mark the main places on the map (or take the map above) and wander randomly from street to street.

Grote Markt area

Mechelen's central square is the heart of the city. All roads, one way or another, lead here.

Having visited all the most famous tourist cities in Belgium, I can say that each of them definitely has a central square with such gingerbread houses. They all look alike. A week passes after returning home, and when you close your eyes, you cannot immediately remember and imagine this or that place, they are so similar.

This phenomenon is most likely seasonal. In the summer, on weekends, tourists will probably crowd here, but their number will be tens of times less than in or.

St. Rumbold's Cathedral

Mechelen's most famous and visited landmark. The cathedral is located on the Grote Markt.

There is an observation deck at the top of the tower. Unfortunately, there is no photo from it. We didn’t go upstairs, it was closed. The visiting schedule is quite strange, information below.

• Mon - Fri, Sun - from 13:00 to 18:00;
• Saturday - from 10:00 to 18:00;
• Entry closes at 17:00.

The cost of visiting is 8 euros.

But the entrance to the cathedral itself is open from 08:00 in the morning.

I don’t even remember how many Catholic cathedrals I’ve walked through and inspected throughout Europe in my memory. In your second decade, you cease to be surprised and admire the beauty and grandeur of these structures. The incessant buzz from tourists, camera flashes - all this destroys the atmosphere that should put pressure on a person in such places.

You can feel this in St. Rumbold's Cathedral. Silent silence, not a single soul, amazing.

During the summer months, boat excursions are offered along the Dil River. There was no hint of this in March. And who should we take for a ride? During our entire stay in the city, we met tourists only once.

Het Anker Brewery

I thought for a long time about the order in which to place the places and attractions of Mechelen in the report. Purely from personal feelings and emotions, the top place in this town is the Het Anker brewery and the wonderful drink that they brew there. But starting your acquaintance with medieval Mechelen right away with beer is somehow disrespectful.

So, I’ll repeat my subjective opinion once again, the Het Anker brewery is a pearl not only of Mechelen, but of the whole of Belgium, for which it’s definitely worth coming to this tiny town.

The brewery complex offers beer lovers a range of services and entertainment. On the territory there is a decent hotel, a souvenir shop, the brewery itself and a bar (Brasserie).

Individual and group tours are held around the Het Anker brewery, where the technology for making their beer and the history of the brand are explained.

We did not go on the excursion for two reasons: the first is that it is conducted only in English, and the second is that advance reservation is required. For those planning to visit the brewery, below is the schedule and cost:

You can sign up for a tour on their official website or ask the hotel reception to do it for you. This was offered to us, but we refused, leaning towards only beer tasting, without visiting the brewery.

If you don’t have the time or desire, you can limit yourself to just visiting the Brasserie (bar), as we did.

Beer brewed at Het Anker is the standard of Belgian beer. This is the best thing I have tried in all cities. The main asset of the brewery is the Gauden Carolus variety in several versions: Classic, Tripel, Ambrio, Hopsinjoor.

It is impossible to take and single out one variety and say that it is the best. Each one is impeccable and good in their own way. After Gauden Carolus in Mechelen, the bar will be raised so high that it will be extremely difficult to find a more worthy beer. I recommend.

I forgot to mention, it’s better to take a tasting. For 9 euros you can buy 5 types of beer in a 0.15 liter glass. This is the perfect volume to try Gauden Carolus. And one more thing - strength, all beer is from 7 to 9%. You can’t feel it at all in taste, but in a state of intoxication with a small amount, it’s quite noticeable.

Beguinage

Flemish beguinages are settlements (communities) in which representatives of the religious movement of the same name lived. Now there are no representatives of this faith left, however, the neighborhoods that they inhabited and built for themselves remain. In Belgium, this architectural heritage is highly valued and equated to the heritage of the country. Any brochure picked up at the airport or hotel will certainly contain a mention of Beguinage and an invitation to visit it (there are Beguinages in almost all cities of the country).

To be honest, I didn’t immediately realize that I was in some iconic place. The Beguinage in Mechelen is a couple of cobbled streets and old red brick houses. It is located near Het Anker. So, on your way to the brewery, you will pass along these streets anyway.

Pedestrian streets of Mechelen

I see no further point in systematizing and separating the remaining historical and architectural sights of Mechelen. They are all located nearby. On the general map, I have highlighted the central pedestrian streets that you definitely need to walk along. In total it is about 2 km or 30-40 minutes at a leisurely pace.

It’s enough to make a couple of circles, look around and you can check off Mechelen. This is a very small but extremely cozy town with quiet streets, squares, and an embankment.

Summarizing this report, I would like to note once again that this tiny Belgian city became a great discovery for me. Yes, its architecture is inferior to the grandeur and scale of Bruges, Ghent or Antwerp, but this difference is more than compensated by the atmosphere of this place. There are absolutely no tourists here and, frankly, Mechelen is much more suitable for “laying low” than Bruges.

How much time to spend in Mechelen?

3-4 hours is enough. This is my personal assessment. I am not interested in museums and exhibitions, so if anyone gets the idea to join high culture, they will have to look for other information on the Internet.

If you definitely plan to climb the Cathedral of St. Rumbold, you will have to adjust your visit to the city according to the work schedule of the observation deck.

When to visit Mechelen?

No one will give a definite answer to this question. I prefer to travel to European cities in the off-season. In winter, early spring, late autumn, but not in summer, when tourist traffic lies at the bottom. Mechelen was beautiful in March. The ancient medieval cities benefit greatly from gloomy skies and occasional drizzling rain.

Although, it seems to me, even in peak July and August it will be comfortable to be here. Mechelen is still not so popular among tourists.

Tomorrow the first match of the semi-final of the Belgian Cup will take place, where Mechelen will host Saint-Gilloise. The confrontation consists of 2 matches and therefore it will be important for the hosts to win this game as comfortably as possible, so that in the return game they do not have to make up for lost time, but instead calmly control the course of the match. And home walls should help them with this. Will they be able to achieve this? Let's try to figure it out.

Mechelen last season he played in the Belgian top division, where he was unexpectedly relegated, finishing last in the league. This season, the team’s main task is to return and so far it must be said that they are succeeding. More precisely, it turns out that at the moment we are leading the championship with a solid margin of 6 points 6 rounds before the end of the main part of the season, but it is worth noting that even if they lose 1st place, it does not matter, because then there will be a playoff, which will determine the lucky one holder of the only ticket to the top division.

Based on this, the coaching staff decided to field the strongest squad in this cup game, especially since the draw was quite convenient. In addition, Mechelen There are quite good prospects of winning the Belgian Cup. After all, in the other semi-final pair, the middle peasants of the major leagues Ghent and Ostend, who are approximately on the same level as Mechelen, will play against each other. And therefore the coaching staff decided that it was worth playing with the main team in this match.

Defender Jules Van Clemput will not be able to help Mechelen in the first semi-final

After all, everything is great in the championship so far and these are the results: 14 wins, 6 draws and 2 wins with a goal difference of 46-18. They scored the most goals in the league and conceded the least. On your own field Mechelen won 8 times, drew 2 times and lost 1 time with a goal difference of 24-9. Quite good results and I must say that only 3 times we didn’t score at least 2 goals at home. Not bad results that show that Mechelen is in excellent shape and is not going to stop. Moreover, the last defeat was in September, when they lost away to Bersota Wilrijk 1-0 and since then in 19 games, including the cup, they have not known what defeat is (16 wins and 3 draws). During these 19 matches, only 2 times did they not score at least 2 goals, and they limited themselves to 2 goals in only 5 games, i.e. We find that in 12 matches 3 or more goals were scored per game.

And now I would like to note the team’s performance in the Belgian Cup:

08/27/18 KUB Mechelen Royal Albert Quevy-Mons 2: 0
26.09.18 KUB Mechelen Antwerp 3: 1
05.12.18 KUB Mechelen Lokeren 2: 0
12/19/18 CUB Mechelen Kortrijk 3: 0

As you can see, we took all the cup matches very seriously and won 3 representatives of the top division more than confidently, including Antwerp, which ranks 2-3 along with Bruges. All the key players will be in this match, which you can check on the official website of the team, where the application for this game is listed. The only person who will not be able to play in this match is Jules Van Clemput(17/0 def) and Laurent Lemoine (5/0 def). All other players are in action, including the team's top scorers.

Mechelen's top scorer Igor Decarmago is on the roster for this match

And now I would like to note the confrontation between these teams in the national championship:

This season, the teams played each other 3 times and Mechelen won 2 times with a score of 2-1, and in another game there was a draw of 2-2. Before the start of the season, Mechelen also won a friendly game 2-0. As we can see, all 4 games ended with 2 goals from Mechelen per game. Today I decided that this option was worth playing. At least the ITB looks a little more reliable than a clear victory for the hosts.

On the other hand will be modest Union Saint-Gilloise, which unexpectedly knocked out the leader of the Belgian top division in the quarterfinals when they played 2-2, and in the penalty shootout they were stronger than Union Saint-Gilloise. Because of this, I was afraid to play a clear victory in the upcoming match, especially since they had previously knocked out Anderlecht 3-0. This suggests that their opponent is very serious, and therefore it is dangerous to play the outcomes. But I’m sure that at home Mechelen can learn from the mistakes of Ghent and Anderlecht, and therefore I propose to play the hosts’ ITB, especially since the hosts will play with the main squad.

November 22nd, 2012 , 06:49 pm

On the final day of our Belgian tour, we went north from Brussels to two cities in the province of Antwerp - the regional capital of the same name and Mechelen. We decided to start with Mechelen and leave Antwerp for dessert...

Railway station

The station square named after King Albert I resembles a huge chessboard.

Albert I

In 1835, a railway connection was opened between Brussels and Mechelen. It was not only the first railway in Belgium, but throughout continental Europe.

Fountain

The city stands on the Dil River.

R. Dijle

Brül Street leads from the station to the central square. There are many shops here as well as historical buildings. One of them is decorated with a religious bas-relief.

If you enter the arch, it is already clear that this is a church. Namely, the Church of Our Lady of Leliyondal.

Church of Our Lady of Leliyondal (Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Leliëndaal)

The first documentary mention of Mechelen dates back to 870.

Hoogstraat street

In the 13th century. Mechelen became a major trading city, and a meeting chamber was built for the elders.

House of Elders (Schepenhuis)

The heart of Mechelen is the Grote Markt. I was surprised that there were practically no people here. Yes, it was a cloudy day, but it didn't rain. In general, Mechelen gave the impression of a very quiet city.

Great Market (Grote Markt)

The city hall is also located on the square. Moreover, it is based not in one house, but in a whole complex of three buildings.

Town Hall

The Palace of the Great Council is especially noteworthy. It was started to be built in 1526 by Rombout II Keldermans, but was not completed. Then the building was not touched for almost 400 years, and only at the beginning of the 20th century. the palace was completed with neo-gothic elements..

Town Hall

One of the best restaurants in Mechelen, D Hooch, is located in a historic building from 1902. The simplest 3-course business lunch will cost you only 60 euros.

Restaurant "D" Hoogh

During our visit, the Belgian circus-tent Ronaldo was on tour in the city. This family-run circus traces its history back to Adolph Peter Vanderberghe, who was born in 1827 in Ghent and ran away from home at the age of 15 to join the circus. The name Ronaldo (circus performers simply liked this surname) appeared already in the 1950s.
Cristiano Ronaldo could very well perform here.

Circus Ronaldo

The main football team in the city is Mechelen. The club has red and yellow colors that echo the city flag. The team became the champion of Belgium 4 times and won the cup another 1 time. All these victories belong to two periods - the 40s and 80s. Moreover, in 1988, Mechelen was able to conquer Europe - they won the Cup Winners' Cup.

Great Market (Grote Markt)

The second football club in the city is Racing, but its successes are in the distant past. An ardent fan of this team was the artist and sculptor Ernest Winants (1878-1964). His work "Mother" adorns the main square of the city.

Mother (De Moeder)

Margaret of Austria (1480-1530) can also be called the “Mother” of Mechelen. This ruler of the Spanish Netherlands at the beginning of the 16th century. chose Mechelen as her residence, effectively making it the capital of the country.

Margaret of Austria (Margaretha van Oostenrijk)

In Mechelen, there is a tradition during holidays and processions of throwing up a doll in the form of a small mustachioed drunkard on a blanket. It is believed that the roots of this fun come from Spain.

Opsinjoorke

And the doll got its name in 1775. That year, during the holiday, the doll accidentally fell into the crowd, where it was grabbed by a certain Jacob de Leeuw and tried to escape. But he was caught and even beaten. It turned out that he was from Antwerp, and the people of Mechelen did not like their neighbors and called them “signors” because Antwerp had been under Spanish rule for a long time. Since then, the doll began to be called "opsignorke".

Opsinjoorke

The main attraction of Mechelen is the Cathedral of St. Rumbold. Or rather, its 97-meter bell tower. The most powerful building! It is believed that in good weather you can even see Brussels from above. The most interesting thing is that it was originally planned to build a tower as high as 167 m, but in Belgium desires and possibilities often diverge.

The Gothic church was built from the 13th to the 16th centuries. In 1559 the diocese of Mechelen was founded and St. Rumbold became a cathedral.

Cathedral of St. Rumbold (Sint-Romboutskathedral)

For the blind, there is a model of this grandiose structure nearby.

Cathedral of St. Rumbold (Sint-Romboutskathedral)

The cathedral altar is made of baroque marble and is decorated with a large figure of St. Rumbold.

Cathedral of St. Rumbold (Sint-Romboutskathedral)

It is not even known about this saint in what century he lived. Presumably in the VI - VIII centuries. Rumbold was of either Irish or Scottish descent, but preached Christianity in the Mechelen area. This is where he was killed.

Cathedral of St. Rumbold (Sint-Romboutskathedral)

Many cities in Belgium have malicious nicknames. This is how the inhabitants of Mechelen are called “Moon Firemen”. And they have had this name since 1687. That night there was a full moon, and low clouds created an effect of light and smoke above the tower. Someone raised the alarm, and the whole city came running to the fire. A rescue operation was organized in the form of a human chain to transfer buckets of water, and only after some time the townspeople realized their complete failure. The whole country laughed at the “quenching of the Moon”, but the Mechelen residents themselves are not at all embarrassed by this nickname - banners with a tower and the moon hang everywhere in the city.

Bruul Street

Many have heard the expression “raspberry ringing”, which characterizes the beautiful iridescent ringing of bells (there is even such a song performed by N. Gnatyuk). But not everyone knows that this idiom comes not from the color or the berry, but from the name of the city of Mechelen. All Belgian cities have Flemish and Walloon variants. So Francophones call this city Malin. And because the city was famous for casting bells, it was from here that Peter I ordered the first carillon for Russia.

Ijzerenleen street

There are many cute houses in the city. One of them received the name "Golden Sheep" because of the coat of arms of the Order of the Golden Fleece on the facade.

House of the Golden Sheep (Het Verguld Schaap)

The House of St. George was built back in the 13th century, but then was rebuilt several times. In 1561, winemaker Claude Rutsdie bought it and completed the tower. And in 1604, the crossbowmen's guild renovated the façade.

House of St. George (Hof van Sint Joris)

Now about 82 thousand people live in Mechelen.

Korenmarkt Square

Several famous people by Mechelen standards were born in the city. For example, the artist Ignase Kennis (1888-1973).

Ignace Kennis

Zoologist and President of the Belgian Academy of Sciences Pierre-Joseph van Beneden (1809-94) also deserved a monument. His work “On Worms” was translated into Russian and published in Russia already in 1861.

Pierre-Joseph van Beneden

In the 13th century. the city was surrounded by 12 gates, but only one of them has survived to this day - Brussels.

Now it houses the Mechelen History Museum.

Brussels Gate (Brusselspoort)

Usually there are much more horizontal photos, but this post turned out to be non-standard - vertical photos clearly predominate.

Brussels Gate (Brusselspoort)

Perhaps the cloudy weather did a disservice to Mechelen, but the city made a rather dull impression on me. But the second city of the day turned out to be much brighter...

The city of Mechelen in Belgium for most tourists is just one of the train stops between the Belgian capital and Antwerp.

It's just forty minutes from Brussels main station and even less from the airport, which can be reached cheaply with BiletyPlus, on the banks of the River Deile.

At best, guests of the country see the impressive tower of the city cathedral from a carriage, driving along the railway that carefully skirts the historical center. Meanwhile, in this charming old town there is a lot to see and, we think, even something to linger for. There are many attractions in Mechen - several hundred protected cultural sites, including two from the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Mechelen - a stronghold of bygone times

Mechelen, like other medieval ones, was once surrounded by an impressive wall, and now, as in Brussels, a wide boulevard has been laid out in its place.

However, you can get an idea of ​​what this place looked like in the old days. Because a huge, thick-walled, very menacing-looking double tower has survived, the Brussels Gate, the last of a dozen pre-existing city towers, built in the 13th century and once the largest.

Miracles on the River

It is difficult to get to the city center from the station without passing one of the bridges over the Deile. Meanwhile, there is no need to rush, because the result of a very original approach of the Mechelen residents to problems is located on the river.

Along the river there are old houses like a wall and they approach it very close - go find a place to look at the river not from a bridge, not to mention access to the water.

There is still an embankment here, but not along the shore, but in the middle of the water: they put pontoons in the river, stretched a path along them with a fence, and brought it to the shore in several places. And now everyone can stroll freely right in the middle of the main city water stream, admire the architecture, and pass under ancient stone bridges!

Mechelen Red Square

Having walked around the Schepenhus tower, the city visitor finds himself in the huge space of the main square of Mechelen. The first thing that immediately catches your eye is the emptiness in the center. No fountain, no equestrian statue or figure of a prominent local inhabitant. By the way, there is a statue in the square of the Duchess of Savoy and Princess Anne of Austria, but it is pushed into one of the corners. By the way, it’s very strange why this is so, considering how much useful the lady who kept the courtyard here did for the city.

In Mechelen, in addition to this, there is another statue and the palace of the Duchess, where, however, outsiders are not allowed, you can only look from the outside, but it is worth doing. It seems to be composed of two components, so dissimilar that they are sometimes mistaken for two different structures.

The southern side of the square is occupied by the town hall; it itself took almost 400 years to build, and was partially included in the UNESCO World Heritage List - what a curiosity! Only the town hall tower was worthy of inclusion. The entire building looks quite impressive, even though its facade seems to be made of three parts, each in its own style.

There is a funny sculpture near the town hall - some peasant, looking rather stupid, is being thrown on a trampoline. This is, in fact, a person who has become central to the noisy processions of the inhabitants of Mechelen. They do not have the best relations with their neighbors from Antwerp, and this doll is intended to ridicule the arrogance of the northerners. Since they boasted the nickname “seniors”, the local negative folklore character, previously called by the names of vices, received his own name - “senorque”. According to rumors, the people of Antwerp still have difficulty holding back their resentment.

A cathedral you can't miss

And on the northern side of the main square is the cathedral, which has gained enormous fame. It is named in honor of St. Rumbold, who once carried the word of God to local residents and laid down his head in this field. The cathedral was founded in the 13th century, and in its current form it has existed for about four hundred years. For this reason, it is included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.

The main church of Mechelen is truly not one of those that you immediately forget. Its 100-something-meter tower can be seen from afar and cannot be confused with anything. This is due to the unusual shape of the main tower - with a flat platform at the top, giving the entire structure the appearance of a fortification rather than a religious building. And all because there was not enough money for the planned tall spire! You can even climb onto its roof, 100 meters from the ground, if you time it well - they let you in once every 20 minutes from 13 to 16 hours and ask for 7 euros, the entrance is opposite the altar.

But even in the cathedral itself, tourists have something to look at: along the columns there are statues of saints in orderly rows, each with their own symbol in their hands. It’s as if one of the former shepherds is emerging from the wall; such a monument was erected to him here. A huge pulpit rises, a work of art in itself, it is all covered with skillful carvings, so that climbing it is as if you are climbing steps onto a hill covered with herbs. The walls are decorated with paintings dedicated to episodes from the life of St. Rumbolda. Light pours onto all this through windows covered in luxurious stained glass.

What else not to miss in Mechelen?

Well, now we have walked around the main attractions of Mechelen. But the list of what to see is far from exhausted.

There is also the Sint-Janskerk Cathedral, which would be unsurpassed in any other city, but here it is only number two to the Church of St. Rumbold. There is an ancient and very unique architecture monastery of beguines, a toy museum, an episcopal palace - you can’t list everything...

In a word, book tickets to Brussels - and go on an unusual journey, you won’t be disappointed!