St Rumbold’s (Sint-Romboutskathedraal)
had it’s first stone of the present day St Rumbold’s Tower laid in 1452 and was undertaken by the Keldermans family of Architects. The plan was to build a tower some 167 metres high, though during the mid 16th Century building work ceased due to financial reasons (it is also said that buildings of great height were viewed with caution as many had fallen down so the choice was again to stop building) therefore reaching the height of 97 metres.  The unusual shape of the Tower is due to the fact that only 7 metres of the original 77 metres of the Spire were built.

It soon became a symbol to Mechelen due to it not only storing important documents within it’s fortified Tower and also was a working Belfry. Within, it has six rooms, each serving a different purpose. The bells in the Tower served to tell the townsfolk the time and alert for any pending danger. Today the Tower provides an excellent view of Mechelen and the surrounding area from the Skywalk.  Ensure you are not afraid of heights as there is 538 steps to climb.

Legend has it that the people of Mechelen were always arriving late, which was soon nicknamed “Mechelen Time”.  During the 18th Century they hung the largest timepiece in the world on the four sides of St Rumbold’s Tower.  These gigantic clock faces were larger than the faces of Big Ben. They only showed the hour.  For the minutes, people had to listen to the Carillon and this is still the case today. The timepiece is no longer present, yet the Carillon play tunes every quarter of an hour.  In addition, the ‘Mechels halfke’ (Mechelen half) is a strike between each quarter – enabling the townsfolk to keep watch of the time.  Stop and listen next time you hear the Carillon being played.  The oldest extant bells date from the 17th century.  In 1981 the Tower was restored and a new Carillon was fitted. Concerts are held on a weekly regularly basis and the Carillon School of Mechelen organises the Queen Fabiola International Carillon competition every 5 years.

For those who love birds (Twitcher), then do keep an eye out for the Peregrine Falcons.  There is a live feed to see:

The Cathedral and Tower are named after the The Patron Saint of Mechelen – St Rumbold.  He was an Irish Missionary who travelled to Mechelen around 600AD to spread the Christian Faith.  St Rumbold’s bones are contained in a majestic shrine which winds through the streets of Mechelen during the Hanswijk Procession, the Sunday before Ascension.  If you are visiting the Cathedral, look out for the 25 paintings behind the choir, these illustrate the life of St Rumbold. The Cathedral is Belgian’s metropolitan archipiscopal, where the Archbishop holds two seats – one in Mechelen and the other in Brussels Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula.

Visits are available to the Skywalk, for further information, contact the Mechelen Tourist Centre:

T +32 70 22 00 08
E: toerisme@mechelen.be