In several streets in Lier, you will find 12 bronze scallops. These scallops show the way to the Spanish place of pilgrimage Santiago de Compostela.
The Via Brabantica crosses Lier and runs from the rail crossing at Lisperpoort, via the Saint James Chapel to the old bridge over the diversion canal behind the beguinage. The scallops point with their heads to the next scallop shell, towards Spain. The roads to Santiago belong to the UNESCO World Heritage.
Going on pilgrimage used to be a punishment or penance. Nowadays, thousands of pilgrims still travel this route every year. At Visit Lier you can get a print of the unique pilgrim's stamp of Saint James the Greater.
If you don't want to walk the entire route up to Compostela, you can do the Lier part of the route with a city guide. A touch of history, spiced up with anecdotes and interesting facts about the phenomenon of 'pilgriming'.
