Over the past 20 years, Mechelen has gradually uncovered a network of hidden streams (vlietjes in Dutch) that run through the city.
So far, the project has created ten new stretches of water that provide appealing trails through the centre (some are too new to appear on Google maps).
The first of the restored waterways, the Nieuwe Melaan, was created in 2007 around the walls of the art school. Another stream meanders behind the old houses in Muntstraat.
The project received financial support from the EU under a plan involving six cities called Water in Historic City Centres. Mechelen’s strategy was praised as a way of helping the old city cope with heavy rainfall caused by the climate crisis.
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.
