In Burgundian times, Mechelen was much more than just a small town in Flanders – it was a center of power, a place of art and a scene of historical decisions that influenced the fate of Europe. Today, Mechelen invites you to discover this exciting era. The audio walk through Mechelen “If these walls could talk” is particularly suitable.
The Belgian city of Mechelen, located in the heart of what is now Flanders, experienced one of its most glorious eras during the reign of the Burgundians. Between the 14th and 15th centuries, the city became an important political, economic and cultural center of the Burgundian Empire. Its strategic location between Brussels, Antwerp and Leuven made Mechelen a crossroads where power, trade and art came together.
Burgundian rule: a golden age
The Burgundian dukes, in particular Philip the Good and Charles the Bold, were not only ambitious in the military and political fields – they also promoted the arts and architecture. Mechelen became a city of great importance under their rule.
Mechelen flourished particularly under Margaret of Austria, a key figure at the Burgundian court. Margaret resided here from 1507 as governor of the Habsburg Netherlands and turned the city into a lively center of culture and diplomacy. Margaret was not only a capable politician, but also a passionate art collector. Under her patronage, a court culture developed that attracted artists, diplomats and scholars from all over Europe. Mechelen became a city of knowledge and innovation, where the ideas of the Renaissance fell on fertile ground.
The Burgundian era has left numerous architectural treasures in Mechelen that still characterize the cityscape today. You will pass some of these places during your tour and immerse yourself in this period.
In addition to its political and cultural importance, Mechelen was also an economic center. The city benefited from its location on the River Dijle, which connected it to other trading towns. The cloth trade in particular played an important role and Mechelen fabrics were in demand throughout Europe. The Burgundians also created stable political structures that promoted trade and made the city rich. Another factor that made Mechelen stand out was the introduction of the “Great Council of Mechelen” in 1473. This highest court in the Netherlands combined jurisdiction and administration and made the city a center of justice in the Burgundian Empire.
Who was Margaret of Austria?
The key figure of Mechelen in the Renaissance Margaret of Austria (1480-1530) was one of the most remarkable women in European history and played a decisive role in the development of Mechelen.
Margaret was born in 1480 as the daughter of Emperor Maximilian I and Mary of Burgundy. As a member of the House of Habsburg, she was part of the most powerful ruling families in Europe from birth. Her life was characterized by political alliances and dynastic intrigues: At the age of two, she was sent to France as a political pawn, where she was betrothed to the future King Charles VIII. However, this union was later broken off and Margaret experienced a series of political and personal misfortunes, including the death of her two other husbands.
In 1507, she was appointed governor of the Habsburg Netherlands by her nephew, the future Emperor Charles V. She exercised this office with great skill and Mechelen became her residence city. Under her leadership, the city became not only an administrative center, but also a place of diplomatic importance.
She negotiated numerous peace treaties and alliances, including the “Ladies’ Peace of Cambrai” (1529), an important treaty to end the conflict between France and the Holy Roman Empire. Margaret’s diplomatic skills earned her the reputation of being one of the most capable politicians of her time.
Justice was also strengthened under Margaret. The ‘Great Council of Mechelen’, the highest court in the Netherlands, was already based in the city under the Burgundians. Margaret was instrumental in further expanding this institution and stabilizing the legal system.
Margaret of Austria was not only a skillful politician, but also a passionate patron of the arts and culture. Her residence was one of the most elegant buildings of the time and she gathered artists, musicians and scholars from all over Europe at her court. Her collection of paintings, sculptures and manuscripts was legendary. Margaret’s support of music was particularly noteworthy. She promoted the tradition of carillon playing, for which Mechelen is world-famous today, and helped to make the city a center of musical innovation.
Even after her death in 1530, Mechelen remained a city of great importance, cementing its reputation as the ‘Pearl of the Netherlands’.
Audio walk through Mechelen: “If the walls could speak”
The legacy of Margaret of Austria still shapes the city today. Wouldn’t it be nice if the beautiful old buildings and squares could tell us what happened here at that time?
With the wooden ear trumpet, we set out to listen to the stories of the time. There are a total of 11 listening stations on the audio walk through Mechelen.
These are located at prominent places in contemporary history and the stories there also relate to the stops on the tour. Conversations between dignitaries, craftsmen and prisoners are overheard, but I won’t reveal here what we heard. I will only briefly describe the locations of the listening stations so that you can find your way around Mechelen and because they are of course also related to the little story you can hear there.
The listening stations can be recognized by signs and logos.
Station 1 and end point: Schepenhuis
The audio walk through Mechelen begins and ends at the Mechelen Tourist Information Office. Here you can pick up the wooden listening tube and visit the first listening station. The tourist information office is located in the Schepenhuis in Mechelen, right next to the Grote Markt.
At a time when the town’s economy was booming due to the fabric trade, the need for new buildings grew. In 1288, the city therefore decided to build a stone house in which meetings could be held in the future. From 1473, the Great Council of Mechelen (the highest court) met in the Schepenhuis. Later it became the Grote Raad van Mechelen. It was not until 1616 that it moved to the former Palace of Margaret.
Station 2: St. Rombout Cathedral and tower
Mechelen Cathedral is certainly the most impressive building on the tour. Construction began around 1200 and the church was completed in its present form around 1500. It is considered an outstanding example of Brabant Gothic architecture.
The listening point is located outside the church. If you are standing in front of the main entrance on the left long side. When you approach the point, you will hear an acoustic signal and the audio recording will start shortly afterwards.
If you don’t just want to take the audio walk through Mechelen, you should definitely go into the church. Here you will find altars, tombs and paintings by important masters such as Lucas Faydherbe and Anthonis van Dyck. Climbing the tower was an unforgettable experience for us. On several floors within the ascent, you learn about the history of the city, the construction of the tower and I found the carillon and the view over the city particularly exciting.
Station 3: Town Hall, Cloth Hall
After walking around the church, you reach the Grote Markt. Here stands the impressive building of the town hall.
The town hall consists of two building sections. The Cloth Hall with the Belfry, which was never completed, and the Paleis van de Grote Raad.
The tower was never completed due to a lack of funds. It was not given a roof until the 16th century. Today the tower is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To the right of the tower is the Cloth Hall and to the left the Palace of the Great Council. Curiously, however, the council never met there.
Station 4: Palace of Margaret of York, Court of Cambrai
After a short walk, we reach the Court of Cambrai. Not much is left of the palace. Today, the city theater uses the former reception hall of the palace.
The Bishop of Cambrai once lived here until Margaret of York, the widow of Charles the Bold, moved in. Between 1500 and 1515, the future Emperor Charles V, then still a child, lived there. Today, only a diamond-shaped coat of arms of Margaret next to that of her late husband Charles reminds us of the former residents.
Station 5: Palace of Margaret of Austria, Savoye Court
One of the first Renaissance buildings in Northern Europe is the Savoye Court. The building was constructed in the early 16th century and is also known as the Palace of Margaret of Austria.
As governor of the Habsburg Netherlands, Margarete was initially assigned a house that she felt was too small. So she commissioned the architect Rombout II Keldermans to extend the building along the Keizerstraat.
Today, the building is used as a courthouse and there are stricter security regulations. Unfortunately, the court is rarely open and you have to be lucky to get a glimpse inside. When we discovered the open doors by chance, we took the opportunity to visit the court. It was well worth it. The beautifully landscaped courtyard is surrounded by impressive side wings. In the highest gable field is the coat of arms of Margaret, in the gable field above the left entrance is a statue of Justitia and below it the coat of arms of Charles V.
Station 6: Court of Busleyden
The Court of Busleyden is an imposing Renaissance city palace. The listening station is located on the outer wall right next to the entrance. Today there is a museum here, which I highly recommend visiting. It deals with the Burgundian history of the city. This is where the stories of Hieronymus van Busleyden, Margaret of Austria and Erasmus come together. You can read about our visit to the museum and what exactly can be seen there in our report “Museum Hof van Busleyden”.
Station 7: The Klapgat
We are standing in a narrow corridor that leads us to St. John’s Church. “Klappen” means something like chatting, gossiping. Churchgoers would stop in this aisle after the service to gossip and chat – it was the “newsroom” of the past.
At the end of the Klapgat is a glazed grotto. This is also the listening point. In the grotto there is a group of sculptures depicting Christ on the Mount of Olives. There is also an offering box into which praying believers put some money.
Our tip: also visit St. John’s Church. It is one of the 7 most important churches in the city, which you can visit on a great tour!
Station 8: Beguinage church
From the Klapgat, the path continues through the alleyways of the old town towards the Beguinage, where the Beguinage church is located.
The beguines, a community of single women, lived outside the city walls of Mechelen until 1560. The women looked after their own livelihood and their courtyards often housed bakeries, breweries, a hospital and their own church. Beguines were not nuns. Although they took a vow of chastity, they could leave at any time and marry, for example. After their farm was destroyed, they moved into the city, bought up old houses and rebuilt them. The Great Beguinage was created.
If you look at other Flemish cities, you will also find beguinages. These are often built quite uniformly, as they were built from scratch. In Mechelen, this is very different due to the use of the existing building structure. Here, almost romantic-looking alleyways with small houses have been created, which are now on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Beguinage Church was designed by the architect and Jesuit Pieter Huyssens. He was inspired by the Italian Baroque style. The Beguines invested a lot of money in the church and entrusted the interior design to the sculptor and Rubens student Lucas Faydherbe.
Listening points 9 + 10: swing bridge and Vismarkt
From the beguinage, the path leads to the banks of the Dijle. One listening point is located near the swing bridge on a railing, the second at the Vismarkt on the railing of the Dijlepad (Lamot level).
The Vismarkt used to be Mechelen’s fish market. Today it is a square with restaurants, pubs and bars that is particularly popular in the evening.
From there you return to the starting point of the audio walk through Mechelen, the Schepenhuis. The last listening point is located next to the entrance to the tourist information office on the wall of the building.
Is the tour worthwhile?
We really enjoyed the audio walk through Mechelen. It was quite funny to stand there with the ear trumpet and listen to the little stories. We were approached by quite a few visitors to the city who wanted to know what we were listening to with the ear trumpet. Of course, you don’t have to hold the tube up to the wall, the soundtrack is played just the same, but it’s fun! Who listens with a tube on the wall of a house!
Good to know
The tour, including the audio files, takes about 1.5-2 hours.
You can get the ear trumpet and the route map at the Visit Mechelen tourist information office at Vleeshowersstraat 6, which is also the start and end point of the circular route.
NL, FR, EN, DE, SP
The pay-what-you-can principle applies. You pay what the tour is worth to you.
The audio walk through Mechelen was part of the program of a press trip to Mechelen.
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