“Moon Extinguishers” is a term for the people of Mechelen that has been around since 1687.  It is said that on the 27th January 1687, St Rumbold’s Tower was shrouded in a heavy winter mist.  A non too sober local noticed that the Tower was ablaze with a reddish misty glow.  He immediately raised an alarm and as the story goes the whole city was suddenly in a state of confusion.  The local Burgomaster was soon organising the fire-fighting process.

Buckets of water were being passed from hand to hand and then taken up the tower stairway.  Yet before people had reached the top of the Tower the Moon had slipped through the haze and disappeared. The locals realised then that the reddish glow was not a fire but the moon.  Between them, they had agreed not to share the happenings of that night. Alas, the news soon spread across Flanders, whereupon the people of Mechelen are otherwise known as “Moon Extinguishers” even to this day.

Maneblusser has also inspired local biscuits and pralines known as Maneblussertjes which are shaped in a half moon. These are available from a bakery called Vanderbeek.

The local brewery, Het Anker produce a blonde lager at 5.8% which has undergone a double fermentation process (Top fermentation and secondary fermentation in the bottle) and is aptly named Maneblusser beer.

There is a wealth of history and information about Mechelen.  If you are a local business and wish to increase your presence to include more English visitors, then please feel free to contact me and I can happily share your news.