Benelux Political Geography

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names Further reading

Mechelen

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2008 | Copyright

Mechelen , Fr. Malines, commune (1991 est. pop. 75,000), Antwerp prov., N central Belgium, on the Dijle River. In English it is also known as Mechlin. It is a commercial, industrial, and transportation center and was formerly a famous lace-making center. Manufactures include textiles, furniture, and beer. Founded in the early Middle Ages, Mechelen was a fief of the prince-bishops of Liège until 1356. It then passed to Louis de Mâle and the dukes of Burgundy. Mechelen was an archiepiscopal center in 1559. The city was often damaged in the many wars that were fought in the Low Countries. However, Mechelen retains many noteworthy buildings, including the Gothic Cathedral of St. Rombaut (13th cent.), which contains Anthony Van Dyck 's painting, the Crucifixion, and has a 319-ft (97-m) tower and a carillon; the churches of Notre Dame and of St. John, both of which have paintings by Peter Paul Rubens ; the archiepiscopal palace (16th cent.); and the city hall (14th cent.; rebuilt 18th cent.).

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Mechelen

Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names | 2005 | | Copyright

Mechelen (French: Malines), Belgium Machlina Derived from the Old High German mahal ‘place of judgement’, a reference to the fact that Charles the Bold (1433–77), Duke of Burgundy, sited the Grand Council, the supreme court of the Low Countries, here in 1473.

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JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Mechelen." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 13 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Mechelen." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 13, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Mechelen.html

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Mechelen." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Retrieved February 13, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Mechelen.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	`Los Honores' can begin your visit to Mechelen.(Travel) Newspaper article from: The Washington Times (Washington, DC); 7/29/2000
	Mechelen success for Ulster riders.(Farming Life) Newspaper article from: The News Letter (Belfast, Northern Ireland); 1/3/2004
	CITYSNAP; Mechelen.(Features) Newspaper article from: South Wales Echo (Cardiff, Wales); 4/9/2011