Lier

Description

Lier (also, Lierre in French) is a municipality of the Belgian province of Antwerp, comprising the city of Lier proper and the village of Koningshooikt. The entire municipality encompasses only 49.70 km². The town has Roman origins, developing on the banks of the river Nete (also, Nethe), but the majority of surviving buildings date from the late medieval and later and include a number of guild buildings and the rococo town hall. In 1904, the population was 24,229 and in 1911 the Encyclopaedia Britannica noted that a brisk industry in silk fabrics existed in the town and region. The First World War saw heavy damage to the town; its proximity to Antwerp meant it formed part of the shrinking defences of that city in September and October 1914 before it fell to the German Army. During the Second World War, Lier and Antwerp were occupied by Germany (May 1940) and liberated by the British 11th Armoured Division on 4 September 1944 Local industries include cattle, a pigeon market, lace and silk making and brass instrument making. Apart from the firm of De Cart brothers, brass instruments were also made here by Van Engelen, Verstappen, Verhoeven, De Vries and Van Dessel, relying on the custom of the military stationed in the nearby Antwerp forts which had been completed in the late 1870s.