Lier lies inbetween the cities of Antwerp and Mechelen and at about 45 minutes from Brussels.
Already inhabited during the Roman period Lier had developed into a town near the river Nete, when in 1212 the Duke of Brabant granted city rights. The economic pillars where the cloth industry and the cattle market. During the first world war the city was heavily damaged but tastefully rebuilt afterwards.

One of the prides of Lier is the "Beguinage" (Dutch : Begijnhof). It dates from the 13th century and ranks among the largest and most beautiful beguinages in Belgium.

Beguinages were founded in most medieval cities of the low countries at the time of the crusades. A lot of women had lost their husbands and wanted to live in protected communities. Most of these women, however, did not want to join a convent or a monastery, where they had to make vows. In the beguinages, the ladies could live like nuns or sisters, without having to make vows that would tie them for the rest of their lives. The system of beguinages continued to exist in the low countries until this century. Most beguinages consisted of a group a small houses, which, together, formed a little separate village inside a city.
(see for more info the descriptions under the pictures!)