We would like to welcome you in one of our 3 guestrooms, named after people from the direct surroundings of Frans Hals, and/or the studio named after a little artwork of Frans Hals: The landmark of Mechelen is the huge St. Rumbold's tower. This impressive late-medieval tower can be seen from far away. The town was founded in the early Middle-Ages on the banks of the river Dijle. It is a pleasant typical Flemish city which belonged to the Duchy of Brabant. The town center is a low-traffic area, which makes Mechelen a pleasant shopping city. On Saturdays the main shopping streets 'Bruul' and 'IJzerenleen' are visited by many people. For a short period (1st half of the 16th century) Mechelen was the capital of the Low Countries. At that time Margaret of Austria ruled here and had set up her court in Mechelen. Her successor, Charles V, again moved the court to Brussels. Nowadays, Mechelen is still the religious capital of Belgium. Here resides the Archbishop of Belgium. Although Mechelen suffered badly during the World Wars of the 20th century, a lot of interesting and beautiful old buildings have been preserved. To name but a few : the St. Rumbold's Cathedral, the former Palace of Margaret of Austria, the Town Hall, and several really beautiful and enchanting houses.Visitors had to visit the beautiful historic site of Mechelen.