Travel Guide Mechelen

Mechelen is a peaceful city that fate has wedged between two giants, Brussels and Antwerp. It's a true Flemish town, on a human scale, with tall stone houses and bicycles lining the streets. Today, the town of 80,000 inhabitants has preserved many monuments that bear witness to its importance in past centuries, particularly its magnificent town hall. Mechelen boasts several gastronomic addresses (including two Michelin-starred restaurants) and interesting local specialties. Try the famous Mechelen cuckoo, featured on many a menu, chickens with particularly tasty meat. Anecdotally, the people of Mechelen are nicknamed Maneblussers, or moon-extinguishers, because according to local legend, a local leaving a cabaret thought that Saint-Rombaut Cathedral was burning. Panicked by his cries, local residents realized it was the moon's orange reflections on the roof, provoking mockery throughout the country.