Heritage management plan for the Beguinage Lier - UNESCO World Heritage
The beguinage of Lier has a rich history with one constant. There has always been and still is a community. In other words, it is a living monument. The continuous interaction between history and living with changing norms and standards is central.
This is also the basic vision, which was developed in the Masterplan & Convention Begijnhof Lier (2007), and which is propagated in the restoration and updating. An adaptation to contemporary needs is inevitable and is beneficial for conservation. As a result, the beguinage is not seen as an isolated entity, but a fully-fledged part of the Lier city center with important socio-cultural and economic values.
The beguinage has a four-tiered ownership structure. The City of Lier owns the public space (streets, entrance gates, pumps), the Public Center for Social Welfare (OCMW), the Sint-Gummarus Church Factory and a number of private persons own the buildings. The management plan aims to provide an instrument for a coordinated vision and an aligned policy.
The management plan aims to further guide the further restoration and updating, prompted by the Convention from the Master Plan. The following objectives are priorities here:
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Update of Master Plan: inventory, heritage valuation
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Preservation of the character of the beguinage and the "Historic Universal Value".
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Development of an overall vision for important elements (roofs, floors, joinery,…).
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Client: OCMW Lier, Lier City Council & Sint-Gummarus Church Community
Team: SumResearch i.c.w. B. Van der Wee Architects
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