The Flemish city of Mechelen is rather proud of its link to Ludwig van Beethoven. The German composer’s grandparents lived in Mechelen in a street now named Van Beethovenstraat. Lodewijk Van Beethoven, the composer’s grandfather, sang in Saint Rombout’s Cathedral, and later settled in Bonn.
Not that the great German composer ever visited Mechelen. He was only three when his Flemish grandfather died. And yet his roots are in Flanders, which is why his name uses the Flemish van, not the German von.
In 2020, the city marked the 250th anniversary of the composer’s birth by putting up a statue of young Van Beethoven. It also named a new bridge after the German composer.
There are still five people with the last name Van Beethoven living near Mechelen. Related to the composer, they have always believed.
They were recently contacted by Maarten Larmuseau from the University of Leuven. He suspected there was something strange in Ludwig van Beethoven’s family tree. He compared DNA samples taken from the living Van Beethovens with a sample taken from the composer’s hair.
The study revealed that the composer was not linked to the Belgians bearing his surname. The composer’s biological father must have been an illegitimate son.
The Van Beethovens were shocked. They were often asked about their unique surname. It made a nice story. Now they know they are not.
But the city still insists there is a connection to celebrate, even if it is not genetic. ‘We’re not going to give up Van Beethoven,’ said cultural alderman Björn Siffer.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
