Beguinage Lierre, a tiny town within a city

The city of Lierre (or Lier in Dutch) was one of the larger urban centres within the Duchy of Brabant. This twin city was located at the confluence of two minor rivers at the edge of the Campine not far from the city of Mechlin (Mechelen in Dutch). Mechlin has two Beguinages, Lierre has just one. The rapid growth of Lierre was directly related to its favourable position on a navigable river and the pilgrimage of Saint Gummarus who was interred here. This influx of people leads to an expansions of trade and thus traders. This in turn leads to the foundation of several religious institutions: the St Elisabeth Hospital in the twelfth century and several religious orders (Cistercian Abbey of Nazareth, Convent of Zion, Black Sisters Convent, Dominican Monastery, Jesuit Monastery, Convent of the Sisters of the Mountain of Peace, Theresian Monastery, Ursulines Convent and Capuchin Monks Monastery) during the following centuries.

The Beguinage of Lierre came into existence probably in the first half of the thirteenth century when a group of unmarried women decides to live together on a small plot of land next to the hunting lodge of the Duke of Brabant. This first Court Beguinage or Begijnhof  - the name "hof" indicates an enclosed or fenced in piece of land and was also used for gardens - lay outside the first city defences but under the protection of the ducal stronghold on the edge of the Nete river.

Adelaide of Burgundy, wife of Henry III granted the religious women land to build a chapel. She was herself a devout woman who was greatly inspired by the teachings of Thomas Aquinas. In 1258 the Beguines were granted the right to have their own church and parish priest. From the onset the Beguinage was fenced off. At first it was surrounded by a paling. The buildings were originally constructed as half-timbered constructions under a thatched roof. Around 1400 the Beguinage consisted of a central church, an infirmery and three so-called convents "het Groethuse", "Canterhuse" and "Woemelghemhuse" in which the Beguines lived together.

With the erection of the second city wall around Lierre - that united both urban cored within one single defensive structure - the Beguinage was incorporated into the city. Along its eastern edge a new moat had already been dug in 1427. This moat was incorporated into the fortifications of 1516. The Beguinage was basically a pious commune of women that was separate from the city it had become a part of. From less than 10 houses it grew steadily through legates and bequests, gradually occupying more territory and adding streets into a tiny city within a city of 162 houses spread along eleven narrow alleys and streets. The wooden fence and palisade was replaced by a wall from the early sixteen hundreds onwards. The housing was also replaced with houses built in stone, to better comply with city fire regulations.

The street pattern is very regular, with fairly irregularly positioned cottages with a great variety of floor plan. This indicated gradual growth along pre-existing lines, most likely the underlying parcelation of fields. The Church of Saint Margaret once stood at the heart of the Beguinage in its own graveyard.  After it was ordained in 1784 that burials should take place outside of the cities the graveyard was closed and paved over.  In the nineteenth century the former orchard was replaced by a Calvary Mount as a symbolic representation of the crucifixion of Jesus on Golgotha Hill (also known as Calvary Hill). Within this walled sanctuary an infirmary, convent for young girls, Table of the Holy Ghost (Heilige Geesttafel), rectory, gatekeeper house and new convent were located. Along the moat a wide strip of grass was used for bleaching linen and drying cloth on large wooden frames. This part now known as Grachtkant (Moat Side) was developed for more cottages in 1726 after the decline of the clothing industry. During the nineteenth century some cottages were torn down to create small gardens for the adjoining cottages (these are shown in lighter grey). What remained of the Beguinage has been restored after the last Beguines died out. The Beguinage of Lierre was given the highest conservation status and is one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Belgium.

The Beguinage of Lierre is a large example of a Street type. The oldest core (yellow outline) is located around the church (c), although the parcelation suggests that the first houses were located south of this church. The Beguinage has been expanded several times. For a long time the Beguinage had only two gates [G] at either end of the central Rechtstraat, now Sint-Margaretastraat. The Beguinage reached its current and largest extent in the 17th century. Within its walls with four gates (G) we can find: the Infirmary (i), the Old Convent (O), the New Convent (N), a Calvary Mount (M), the Rectory (R), the Gatekeeper House (K) and the Wezenhuis (W) a house for orphaned girls. The Bleachfields [B] were at the heart of the urban industry of the Beguines. They were located along a moat that connected to the Nete river.

Courts Beguinages (Begijnhoven) of the Low Countries

The Low Countries, which encompass The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg and parts of adjoining Germany and France, are well-known for a peculiar medieval type of segregated communal living in an urban context: the Buiganage. Such a Buiganage was occupied by Beguines or Beghards. These Beguines and Beghards were Christian lay religious orders that were active in Northern Europe, in the 13th–16th centuries. Their members lived in semi-monastic communities but did not take formal religious vows. Most were set up to accommodate unmarried or widowed women. The Beguines weren't locked into a life-long contract, they were free to leave at any time. Beguines were part of a larger spiritual revival movement of the thirteenth century that stressed imitation of Christ's life through voluntary poverty, care of the poor and sick, and religious devotion.

Often described as an answer to a surplus of women after war, the Buiganage was actually a means for unmarried women entering the city to gain work opportunities and personal independence coupled with a religious and social life. Recent historical studies have shown that the newly established cities of the latter half of the medieval period attracted not only young men but also unmarried young women. Also the age at which a marriage was entered into rose parallel to the success of these new cities and towns.

Beguines came from a wide range of social classes, though truly poor women were only admitted if they had a wealthy benefactor who pledged to provide for their needs. While a small Beguinage usually constituted just one house where women lived together, a Low Countries court Beguinage typically comprised one or more courtyards surrounded by houses, and also included a church, an infirmary complex, and a number of communal houses or 'convents'. They were encircled by walls and separated from the town proper by several gates which were closed at night. During the day the beguines could come and go as they pleased. Some larger Beguinages included workshops, a laundrette and such as a  means of gaining income from work.

Before the close of the Middle Ages, Beghard communities were in decline. Their numbers diminished with the waning of the textile trade that most were dependant on for their living. The highest number of such medieval foundations in Flanders and Wallonia was 94, but in 1734 they had been reduced to just 34 and in 1856 to 20.

Beguines were much more commonplace. From the twelfth century through the eighteenth, every city and large town in the Low Countries had at least one court Beguinage. Later, over the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the communities dwindled and came to an end. Their demise started with the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. Viewed as a "catholic institution" the Beguines were suspected of papal inclinations and Beguinages were forcibly closed and replaced by protestant "Fundaties" (Foundations) for women. These "Foundations" typically consisted of a large block containing rooms for the women as opposed to the small cottages provided to residents in a Buiganage. The Protestant Reformation ultimately resulted in the breakup of the Low Countries into the Republic of the United Provinces in the north and the Burgundy Lands (later the Spanish Netherlands and after that the Austrian Netherlands) in the south. Now these provinces more or less correspond to the countries of Belgium and Luxemburg.

There are three types of Courts Beguinage: 1] Street type, 2] Square type and 3] Mixed or Urban type. The Urban type always started off as one of the other types and gradually expanded into what was in effect a gated social community. This gate (g) was always a feature of a Beguinage, not only to provide safety but also to emphasise their special status exempt from the laws of the city. The statute of a Beguinage was comparable to a church freedom. As a religious (inspired) community each Beguinage had a chapel of small church (c). A bleaching field (b) was also a common feature. Some Beguinages had a large building with rooms for young women, orphans etcetera known as novice house (n). Most Beguinages, however were comprised entirely of (terraced) cottages.

A few Beguinages persisted well into the 20th century, mainly in the Spanish Netherlands (what is now Belgium). The last traditional Beguine Marcella Pattyn died on April 14 2013 in Kortrijk at the age of 92. Most traditional Beguinages died out between 1920 and 1970. In Belgium 22 Beguinages remain: Aarschot, Antwerp, Bruges (Ten Wijngaerde = The Vineyard), Dendermonde, Diest, Diksmijden, Ghent (Old Saint Elisabeth, New Saint Elisabeth and Our Dear Lady in the Hay), Hasselt, Herentals, Hoogstraten, Lier, Leuven (Greater and Lesser Beguinage), Mechelen (again Greater and Lesser Beguinage), Kortrijk, Sint Truiden, Turnhout and Tongeren. Thirteen of these have been listed UNESCO World Heritage since 1998. Other surviving Beguinages can be found in: Amsterdam, Breda, Cambrai, Harlem, Leeuwarden, Paris, Sittard, St. Quentin, Utrecht and Valenciennes. In other cities the former Beguinage only lives on in name as a designation for a street or square.

We Eindhoven

Cities have become brands and as such city officials are told by brand managers to look for iconic images, symbols and buildings to assist in city promotion. In a cheeky reference to the I am Amsterdam campaign (styled: I Amsterdam), Eindhoven City Promotion decided to erect this large lighting sign near the station to underwrite the difference between the largest city in the Netherlands and the largest city in North-Brabant. There people are not that individualistic, no, instead there is great sense of community there. Hence: We Eindhoven!

Philipsdorp phase 3, 4 & 5: solid brick-built workers housing in Eindhoven

The former Philips Company School of building phase 5 dominates the skyline of this section of Philipsdorp. The houses by De Bazel are designed in a variety of types that all look rather similar with hipped roofs in orange clay tiles on buildings clad in brown brick. The long row of terraces is given more interest by staggering the building line along the Kastanjelaan (Chestnut Avenue).

A small square - known as Kastanjeplein (Chestnut Square) although this officially isn't an address - forms the link between the former factory site of the Philips Company and the factory housing of Philipsdorp. The main side entrance to the factory site was located opposite this square. From the square the streets fan out so al parts of the neighbourhood and beyond can easily be reached. The factory village was designed for pedestrians and cyclists with roads wide enough for horse-drawn delivery carts.

Another view along the edge of phase 4 designed by De Bazel. The street has since been rebuilt with a central reservation laid to grass and planted with Horse chestnuts. The planting scheme  in building phases 3 and 4 was devised by Tersteeg, a well known landscape architect, who planted a variety of the tree every street was named for. There are plans to re-instate this, as since the 1970s the original planting scheme was abandoned with Column oaks in the Acaciastraat (=Black Locust Street) as an example.

A view down the two streets running off the so-called "Chestnut Square". On the left the Platanenstraat (Plane Street) and on the right Acaciastraat. Both streets feature Columnar oak (Quercus 'Fastigiata Koster'). A single remaining Black Locust tree (Robinia pseudoacacia) is still standing on the corner of the street and the square.

Phase 4 of Philipsdorp is also known as the Platanenbuurt (Plane Tree Neighbourhood). The central Platanenplein forms the focus of the layout and creates a strong sense of direction around a single spatial focus on this irregular plot. The flecked bark is a give-away: the square is aptly planted with London Planes (Platanus x hispanica).

A view down the Vlierstraat (Elder Street) towards the mixed buildings that are part of the centre of Strijp. The edges of the factory village are gradual here, so the actual village and Philipsdorp merge without the latter losing its identity.

A view down the Frederiklaan where a terrace of Philipsdorp with the protruding corners sits comfortably next to the M.T.S. and the former Philips Company School. Both are now part of a vocational college. The schools were part of building phase 5 and were built on land previously used for temporary housing in wooden barracks. With the completion of Drentsdorp and Gelderdorp further north in Strijp this housing was no longer needed from 1930.

The M.T.S. (Middelbare Technische School = Technical Middle School) was built in 1940, The decorative entrance still shows the acronym of MTS and is flanked by two figures that represent Industry and Study. The huge school  behind the MTS was started in the 1930, bombed out and then rebuilt even larger as a seven storey building in two wings -one curved one straight- that emphasises the corner of Philipsdorp towards the Strijp-S factory site.

The high building of the former Philips Company School can also be seen from phase 4 of Philipsdorp, south of the Frederiklaan. Here a view down the central Iepenlaan (Elm Lane). This is a picture taken last year shortly after the restoration of these terraces. This winter the Mountain ash trees were taken out and replaced by Elm treets. The housing De Bazel designed for building phase 3 and 4 are identical. In phase 4 he used more smaller blocks of 3 and some semidetached houses.

A break from the usual architecture by the Bazel are these houses built in phase 5. The broken gable ends create a vernacular impression. This is reinforced by the low roof with high dormers. These houses were built on land provided by the Philips Company, but were developed by another housing association, not the company's own housing association "Thuis Best". Where these terraces connect to the earlier work by De Bazel these brick-built arches (seen right) are featured.

Anotherone of the restored blocks designed by De Bazel in phase 3. Here a block on the corner of the Henriettestraat with the Keerweerstraat. Please note the restored green front door, the reinstatement of the original colour scheme with butter cream coloured frames. The windows have also been replaces with double-glazed units with glazing bars instead of the old large panes of glass.

The housing in the Lijsterbestraat (Rowan Street) has yet to be restored. The housing is very similar to the other housing in building phase 3 (and as such 4).The exception is the colour of the roof tiles that are dark gray here instead of the dull orange of the other terraces designed by De Bazel. The street has a gentle curve and the corners of each terrace protrude to create more interest  through a variable building line.

Almost identical houses were erected on the edge of this section of Philipsdorp; again with darker roof tiles that are brownish red instead of dark grey. The entrance street to the Strijp-S complex once ran along these houses. It was rebuilt further out. The street used to be known as Mathildelaan and was re-named PSV-laan recently to honour the famous football club.