Podtour of Mechelen
Capital of the Netherlands... a long time ago
Mechelen is the hidden city that no one ever visits. Yet once upon a time, when Burgundy was a great Duchy and the centre of civilised Europe, Mechelen - in French, Malines - was its capital; home to the court that ruled what's now the Netherlands and Belgium.
Mechelen citizens like the relaxed atmosphere of a small town. But then they've got all the architectural glories of the capital that once was - fine rococo houses, a Gothic cathedral with one of the highest towers in the country, marvellous palaces from the Renaissance court
Take the audio tour of Mechelen and you'll find some fine paintings by Rubens and his lesser known contemporary Van Dyck. You'll hear about the courts of Margaret of York - sister to two English kings - and Margaret of Austria. And you'll also get to know Hieronymus van Busleyden - humanist scholar, friend of Erasmus, and tutor to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.
Podtour of Mechelen
Price: £5
