Kessel railway station

Kessel (pronunciation ) is a town in the municipality of Nijlen in the province of Antwerp in Belgium. In 2006, the population was 7,207 inhabitants. Kessel is known for its tourist attractions, such as "de Kesselse Heide" (a nature reserve) and "Fort Kessel" (a fortress built for World War I). Kessel lies between two rivers: the Kleine Nete in the north and the Grote Nete in the south. It borders with Emblem, Nijlen, Bevel, Berlaar and Lier. Although Kessel is a fairly small town, it has 2 separate town centres, Kessel-Dorp, which is built up around the town square, and Kessel-station, which is built up around the train station. The name Kessel comes from the Latin word Castellum (fortress), indicating that Kessel might have been the location for an old Roman camp. In 1912, another Fortress was built, in order to withstand a German invasion. During World War I, German artillery fire from Berlaar made the fort useless, though it still stands until this day and was given the status of Protected Monument by the Belgian government.

Broechem is a part of the municipality of Ranst in Antwerp Province, Flemish Region, Belgium. The village is located on the highest point of the region.

Nijlen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈnɛi̯lə(n)]) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Bevel, Kessel and Nijlen proper. In 2021, Nijlen had a total population of 22,985. The total area is 39.09 km2.

Herman Vanderpoortenstadion (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɦɛr.mɑn vɐn.dɛr.ˈpoːr.tə(n)ˌstaːdi.jɔn]) (also called Het Lisp [ətˈlɪsp]) is a multi-use stadium in Lier, Belgium. It is currently used mostly for football matches and was the home ground of Lierse between 1925 and 2018. The stadium holds 14,538, including 4,311 standing places, 522 business seats, 102 VIP seats and 3 loges. Following the bankruptcy of Lierse in 2018, it is unclear who will be the new tenants. It is located along the Lispersesteenweg, the road leading to Lisp, the neighbourhood of Lier where the club is located. The stadium is named after Herman Vanderpoorten, a Belgian politician, former mayor of Lier between 1982 and 1984.

Berlaar (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈbɛrlaːr] (listen)) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Berlaar proper and Gestel. In 2021, Berlaar had a total population of 11,710. The total area is 24.57 km².

Bossenstein Castle is a château in the village of Broechem, Flemish Region, Belgium, which is a part of the municipality of Ranst.

Nijlen is a railway station in Nijlen, Antwerp, Belgium. The station opened in 1855 on the Line 15.

The Zimmer tower (Dutch: Zimmertoren) is a tower in Lier, Belgium, also known as the Cornelius tower, that was originally a keep of Lier's 14th-century city fortifications. In 1930, astronomer and clockmaker Louis Zimmer (1888–1970) built the Jubilee (or Centenary) Clock, which is displayed on the front of the tower, and consists of 12 clocks encircling a central one with 57 dials. These clocks showed time on all continents, phases of the moons, times of tides and many other periodic phenomena. In 1980 the tower became a state-protected monument.

Stedelijk Museum Wuyts-Van Campen en Baron Caroly (Dutch for ‘City Museum Wuyts-Van Campen and Baron Caroly') was a fine arts museum located in the city centre of Lier, Belgium. The permanent exhibition offered an overview of mainly Flemish, Belgian and Dutch paintings from the 16th to the 20th century. In addition, the museum holds a collection of objets d'art.

Koningshooikt is a village that since 1977 forms a municipality with Lier in the Belgian province of Antwerp. In the local dialect Koningshooikt is often called Jut or Koningsjut. Koningshooikt was founded on 1 January 1822, when the village Koningsbossen (also known as Koningsbos or 's-Herenbos) were united with quarters Hooikt and Hazendonk, the latter separated from the village Berlaar. The village is known because of the bus manufacturer Van Hool, the sound recording studio Motormusic Studios and the motorhome constructor Motorhomes Konings.

Lier (Dutch pronunciation: [liːr] (listen); French: Lierre, French pronunciation: [ljɛʁ] (listen)) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. It is composed of the city of Lier proper and the village of Koningshooikt. The city centre is surrounded by the river Nete, around which it grew. In 2018, Lier had a total population of 35,712. The total area is 49.70 km2 making a population density (PD) of 720 per km2. Lier is known for its beers (which include Caves), its patron saint St. Gummarus and Lierse vlaaikes cake. It is also home to the world headquarters of Van Hool, a global bus and coach manufacturer. Lier's two principal football clubs are K. Lyra-Lierse and Lierse Kempenzonen (formerly known as KFC Oosterzonen, which moved to Lier in 2018). The legendry 3-cushion billiards player, also known “Mr 100”, Raymond Ceulemans was born in Lier, Belgium in 1937.

The siege of Lier of 1582, also known as the capture of Lier or betrayal of Lier, took place between 1 and 2 August 1582 at Lier, near Antwerp (present-day in the Belgian province of Antwerp, Flemish Region, Belgium), during the Eighty Years' War and the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604). On 2 August the Spanish army commanded by Governor-General Don Alexander Farnese, Prince of Parma (Spanish: Alejandro Farnesio), supported by part of the States garrison (a discontent group of Scottish troops led by Captain William Semple), captured and seized the town, defeating the rest of the Dutch, English and German troops under Governor of Lier. The entire garrison was killed or captured. The news of the Spanish victory at Lier was a shock to the States-General at Antwerp, where the sense of insecurity was obvious, and many of the Protestant citizens sold their houses and fled to northern Flanders. The consequences of Semple's action were considerable because Liere was a strategic position, regarded as "the bulwark of Antwerp and the key of the Duchy of Brabant". The betrayal of Bruges in the following year by Colonel Boyd was probably prompted by his countryman's example. After a short visit to Prince Alexander Farnese at Namur, Semple was sent to Spain with a strong recommendation to King Philip II of Spain, who according to the Italian Jesuit Famiano Strada, handsomely rewarded him. The next Spanish success was on 17 November, when the Spaniards led by Johann Baptista von Taxis (Spanish: Juan Baptista de Taxis) captured Steenwijk (taken by Dutch States forces on 23 February 1581) forcing the Protestant troops to surrender.