What to do · Lier
Lier beguinage, a World Heritage Site
Information
- Price
- Free
- Duration
- 45 min
- Season
- All year, every day until 22:00
- Who it's for
- All ages; cobbles awkward with a pushchair
- With a dog
- On a lead; it is an inhabited district
The Lier beguinage has been a World Heritage Site since 1998. It is a beguinage of streets from the thirteenth century: eleven narrow lanes and 95 small houses, almost all from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with the name of a saint or a biblical scene above the door. Beguines lived here, women who took a vow of chastity and obedience, but not of poverty, and lived from lace and embroidery. The last one, Sister Agnes, died in 1994.
In the centre is the church of St Margaret. You enter free by the gate on the Begijnhofstraat, by the Schapekoppenstraat or from the rampart, any day until 22:00. They are inhabited houses: walk quietly. The complex is being restored in phases.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to enter the Lier beguinage?
Nothing. It is open every day until 22:00.
As a familyWith a dog
