The Spanish walk: in the footsteps of Joanna of Castile

Lier offers a 920-metre route past six places that recall the 1496 wedding and the two centuries of union between the southern Netherlands and Spain: the chapel of St James or Spanish chapel, church of the Spanish troops in the seventeenth century and a stop on the Camino de Santiago; the Hof van Santhoven; the Aragon bridge; the Hof van Aragon; the collegiate church of St Gummarus and the Bril or Spanish gate. At each there is a plaque with a QR code, and Visit Lier has the text in Spanish.

Visit Lier explains why this small, loyal city was chosen over Antwerp, Mechelen or Brussels in years of instability, and tells the story of Joanna from her arrival in Antwerp to Philip's death in 1506. The map can be downloaded from its website.