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If you are feeling a tad over-indulged after your Christmas celebrations then it is time to saddle up and head for Mechelen in Belgium where the seventh leg of the Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping Western European League takes place on Sunday.
Mechelen, also known by its French name Malines, lies halfway between the capital city of Brussels and Antwerp and has a population of about 75,000.
It is a city of considerable historic importance and for a short period in the early part of the 16th century served as the capital of the "Low Countries", the name given to the region encompassing present-day Belgium, Luxembourg and The Netherlands. Margaret of Austria, daughter of Maximilian 1 and a woman with an interesting personal history and pedigree who was described as "a wise and prudent ruler, of masculine temper and intrepidity, and very capable in affairs" held court here until her death in 1530.
The town was founded in the Middle-Ages on the banks of the River Dijle and is typically Flemish. Its landmark is the massive tower of St Rumbold which is easily recognisable due to its height and its flat-topped silhouette. Its original design intended a 77-metre spire but only seven metres were actually completed when, due to a financial crisis, the work was stopped in the 16th century and so it has remained ever since. However this World Heritage Monument stands 97.28 metres high with 514 stairs which are climbed by the many thousands of tourists following in the foot-steps of Louis XV, Napoleon Bonaparte and King Albert 1.
Mechelen suffered badly during the World Wars of the 20th century but a number of interesting and beautiful old buildings have been preserved, and along with St. Rumbold's Cathedral visitors prepared to detour from the beaten track can see Margaret of Austria's palace among its other delights.
Belgium is bordered by The Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France with a short coastline on the North Sea and is one of the founding members of the European Union, hosting its headquarters as well as those of other major organisations including NATO. With a population of 10.5 million, its two largest regions are the Dutch-speaking area of Flanders in the north and the French-speaking southern region of Wallonia. A small German-speaking community also exists in Wallonia and Belgium has often been described as "the battlefield of Europe" as, from the 16th century until the Belgian revolution in 1830, many clashes between European powers were played out across its territory.
Belgium is a constitutional popular monarchy and a parliamentary democracy with King Albert 11 as its head of State. Its judicial system is based on civil law and originates from the Napoleonic code, and freedom of expression is important to its people. In 2007 the Worldwide Press Freedom Index, "Reporters Without Borders", ranked Belgium sixth out of 169 countries.
It is famous for superb painters like Rubens and Van Dyck and has produced many outstanding sports people including cyclist Eddy Merckx who won four world titles, and topped both the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia on five occasions. Tennis star Kim Clijsters was Belgian-born as was actress Audrey Hepburn and of course Agatha Christie's fictional sleuth, Hercule Poirot, was of Belgian extraction.
On another level altogether Belgium is also very famous for its beer which ranges from the popular pale lager to the esoteric appeal of lambic beer and Flemish red. The beer-brewing tradition goes back to the Middle-Ages when monasteries produced it in large quantities - so the monks couldn't have been altogether a dour lot - and Belgian beer production was greatly assisted by the 1919 "Vendervelde Act" which prohibited the sales of spirits in pubs. This however encouraged the creation of beer with a higher level of alcohol which rather defeated the purpose! Two companies dominate the market with 125 breweries around the country, but there are also 1,000 more producing small-scale brands favoured in their own locality.
The Mechelen fixture celebrates its 27th year this January. The brainchild of the late Eric Wauters, it has grown from a small outdoor show staged at his home in the village of Beulis to become a 5-Star indoor event and has succeeded in achieving it's creator's ambition of bringing Belgian breeders, riders and owners together as never before. The venue was originally intended as a vegetable market for the town, but construction took such a long time that it was over-taken by an alternative location and so stood empty for five years before Eric forged an agreement with the local mayor to run the show which has surpassed all expectations. This year's event is tinged with sadness following the loss of long-time Show President and Committee member Wout Van de Walle who passed away early in December but he, along with all of those who have made it possible, has done a great deal for horse-sport in Belgium. His spirit lives on as the show gets underway today...... |