Lier

Taschen:

This is a bird’s-eye view from the south of the town, which has two moats. The inner moat encloses the medieval town. Standing out among the smaller buildings is the church of St Gummarus, a masterpiece of late Gothic Flemish architecture, and the town hall on the Grote Markt, with its Gothic belfry dating from 1369. This town is said to have begun as a hermit’s cell that was established here by a Frankish knight, later known as St Gummarus, who is still the patron saint of the town today. In 1212 the town was granted a municipal charter and a wall was built around it shortly afterwards. Lier was expanded in 1287 and 1389. It owed its prosperity in large part to the livestock trade, especially with sheep, but also to the cloth industry.