The city of Lierre (Lier in Dutch) is known as the Gate of the Campine and is one of
the best-preserved historic water cities of the Low Countries. The earliest
history of the city is shrouded in mystery and many fanciful tales, that have
subsequently been presented as factual, have been written down about this. What
is known is that there was a presence around the area in Roman times. Little of
this survives and is all located away from the present city. The earliest
mention of Lierre is in 870 as Ledi, a cognate of Leet that signifies a man-made
watercourse or an improved natural stream. The much quoted connection with
Allier (as Ald-Lier) near Emblem further upstream along the Kleine Nete (Lesser
Nethe) being the original settlement should be dismissed! Allier is more likely
derived from aa-liedere, again a
reference to a man-made watercourse (liede),
this time near a natural stream (aa).
If Allier was ever to be located opposite Lier, than both settlement have been
moved, as present-day Alliers is about a mile (1.6 km) further upstream from Lierre.
The core of the story with two donken on either side of the Nethe, each with
their own settlement is however congruent with the natural landscape.
This tentative reconstruction of pre-urban Lierre shows clearly the
floodplain of the Nete river at the point where the two branches meet with some
local elevations of stable sandy soil (so-called donken). The oldest route
crosses a ford on the Kleine Nete befor it joins the Grote Nete. The Chapel
built by the Saint Gummarus stand on the edge of higher land (Nivesdonk) surrounded
by rivulets. On the other side several routes converge on a donk (Oudendonk).
This is where the trade settlement would develop. Further south stood a hunting
lodge.
The Franconian nobleman
Gummarus who lived at Emblem retreated to a pious life after his marriage
failed and became a hermit at Nivesdonk, a sandy elevation in the floodplain of
the Nethe rivers. He established a place of worship here where he was also
buried after his death around 714. On his grave a small chapel was erected.
This chapel gradually became a place of pilgrimage after Gummarus had been
sanctified in 754. As a result the chapel was enlarged and a service district
with lodgings and relics sprang up around it. This meant that the ford linking
the Oudendonk with the Nivesdonk became more important. On the high bank of the
Nethe a small trade settlement grew as the river was navigable by small
vessels. These two separate settlements would grow rapidly during the 11th and
12th centuries. A new shorter connection with a wooden bridge will also have
been built during this period. It has been suggested that the mention of Lierre
as oppidum in 1194 must have meant
that some form of defensive structure had been created around the trade
settlement. A moat with a paling is very possible as most of the market square
occupies the Oudendonk, but no evidence of this has been found. Shortly after,
in 1212, the Duke of Brabant elevates Lierre to city. The city limits were
pegged out in 1213 and included the so-called Kuip (literally: barrel) the
low-lying floodplain and the Bijvang (catchment) that included the villages of Kessel, Nijlen, Emblem, Hagenbroek,
Lachenen, Mijl and Bevel.
It is around this
time that a canal is dug linking the Kleine and Grote Nete (Greater Nethe) north
of the twin city thus better dividing the flow of water and decreasing the risk
of flooding. In 1244 work starts n formal city defences consisting of a moat,
walls and gates. Around the commercial settlement on the Oudendonk the existing
arm of the Kleine Nete is dammed and a new outer moat is dug in a wide arc
around the marketplace used as an outer moat. This moat is called Vest. The old
main branch of the Kleine Nete is later known as Brouwersvliet (Brewers Fleet -
Bv). The northern rivulet of the Grote Nete is known as Vredebergvliet (Vv).
Around the clerical settlement a similar Vest is dug. This moat simply joins on
to the existing man branch of the Grote Nete. This stream is also dammed and a
new canal Minnevliet (Mv) is dug to redirect water to the Brouwersvliet. The
rivulet of Sint Pietersvliet (Pv) joins onto this Minnevliet. With this a Wharf
is created along the bank of the Nete. The works are completed around 1317 when
a fortified bridge is built replacing the old ford. This St Jansbrug linkes the
city wall on each side of the river. The twin city has become a single entity.
In 1388 a water mill is built on the dammed branch of the Grote Nete, that is
henceforth known as Kerkhofmolenloop (Kl).
The city of Lierre before 1400
with its two centres encircled by a defensive moat and wall. The religious
centre has at its heart the Chapel of St. Peter (C1) and the Church of St
Gummarus (C2). On the other side we find the large Market Square with the Cloth
Hall (L-Lakenhal). Nearby stands the Chapel of St. Jacob with almshouses. The
two centres were connected with the Bridge of St. John (1) and the High Bridge
(2). The religious centre on Nivesdock was expanded with the addition of the
Hospital of Our Dear Lady (3), Table of the Holy Ghost (4), St Anthony
Almshouse (5) and the Court Beguinage (6) with the Chapel of St. Margaret (C4).
The Lisper Windmill (7) that belonged to the Convent of Nazareth on the Kleine
Nete at Lisp, stood outside the first city, as did the Hermitage Chapel (C5).
The city had 5 gates: Eikelpoort (8), Mechelse Poort (9), Antwerpse Poort (10),
Lisperpoort (11) and Berlaarpoort (12). A water mill (13) stood near the
cemetery on the Old Nete.
During the course of
the 14th century the city of Lierre expanded rapidly due to the cloth making
industry and trade. As a result a cloth hall (1367) with a fortified belfry
(1369) was built on the central market square. This building doubled up as city
hall. In the 1370s the city gates are completed. Behind the cloth hall the
trade settlement founded its own chapel with almshouse in 1383. This coincided
with the acquisition of the Strypensveld (Stripes Field) east of the city by
the council. Here streets are laid out and a housing quarter is built. This
quarter with the existing Bril Quarter is the counterpart of the Quay Quarter (Kaaiwijk) and Brewers Quarter on the
other side of the river. In front of the 5 gates (of which only 1 gives access
to the religious centre on the east bank) suburbs develop.
To pre-empt future
development it is decided to expand the city even further. In 1389 a new,
wider, urban envelope is approved. Work starts with the acquisition of land and
the strengthening of the embankments of the Nete within the old city by
erecting river walls at the wharf and quay. Also work started on 7 new gates. A
new moat was dug encircling the old city on both sides. At regular intervals
bulwarks were built along the outer moat known as Stadsvesten. The old moat was
renamed according to the functions nearby; for instance Gasthuisvest after the
Gasthuis (hospital) or Kolveniersvest (named after the Culverin Guild that had
a shooting range nearby). Within this new city moat walls were raised. To
improve the drainage situation and better control water levels within the city
a new canal was dug called the Binnennete (n). To improve water management even
further, a large flushing sluice (Groot Spuihuis 1508) was built where this
canal joined the moat. A second flushing sluice (Klein Spuihuis 1518) was built
where the old Nete joined the moat, thus ensuring a better water level for the
fulling mill (built 1421) on the old Vest.
The city florished and attracted many religious institutions, merchants
and artisans. The demise of the cloth trade and the religious turmoil that
followed in the 15th and 16th centuries halted the development of Lierre, so
that large areas remained rural. The city had a short resurgence under the
patronage of Isabella of Austria around 1610. New religious institutions were
founded, the markets were enlarged and breweries sprang up around the city that
became famous for its caves beer. This development was situated within or
directly adjacent to the old city so most of the land within the city walls was
used for market gardening, raising pigs and poultry and orchards. It wasn't until the 1900s that a plan was
made to develop the Sionsbeemden (SB), Gasthuisbeemden (GB, Molse Beemden (MB)
and the Kartuizerveld (KV).
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