Zimmer tower


Lier's beguinage


Aragon bridge

LIER, Belgium
March 9, 2008

VLAMO organized for the third time a "Guitar day" during the “Week of the Amateur Arts”.
This time the choosen venue was the Stedelijke Academie voor Muziek en Woord, Gasthuisvest 50 in Lier (10 km south of Antwerp).

Sunday March 9, 2008 the entire day was focused on every aspect of the guitar. There were workshops Ensemble playing with Marleen Casteele, Relaxation techniques with Helena De Beul, Folk guitar with Philip Masure and History of the guitar with Dirk De Hertogh.
In the afternoon Raphaëlla Smits gave a master class (a real marathon as there were far too many participants) and finally closed the Gitaardag with a one hour recital.

Besides participating to the workshops one could also visit the 'Gitaarbeurs': a fair to discover the newest music scores, guitars and accessories.

More information about VLAMO and the next Gitaardag: www.vlamo.be



Among the celebrities of the town of Lier we should at least mention Timmermans and Zimmer.

Felix Timmermans (1886–1947) was the 13th child in a family of 14.
He received numerous literary awards and became a legend in his own time. The popular and prolific writer's work included biographies of St. Francis of Assisi and the painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder. His "St. Nicholas in Trouble" first appeared in 1929 and has continued in one edition after another - in both German and English - and had original Else Wenz-Viëtor illustrations.

Louis Zimmer (1888-1970), a clockmaker and self-taught astronomer, built the Centenary Clock, which is displayed on the front of the Cornelius tower (originally a keep of Lier's 14th century city fortifications) and nowadays known as the Zimmertower.