Mechelen

Mechelen
Municipality
Mechelen City Hall
Flag Coat of arms
Mechelen Location in Belgium
Mechelen municipality and arrondissement in the Flemish province of Antwerp
Coordinates: 51°01′N 04°28′E / 51.017°N 4.467°E / 51.017; 4.467Coordinates: 51°01′N 04°28′E / 51.017°N 4.467°E / 51.017; 4.467
Country	Belgium
Community	Flemish Community
Region	Flemish Region
Province	Antwerp
Arrondissement	Mechelen
Government
• Mayor	Bart Somers (VLD)
• Governing party/ies	VLD, CD&V, Groen!, N-VA, Ind.
Area
• Total	33.71 km2 (13.02 sq mi)
Population (1 January 2016)
• Total	84,523
• Density	2,500/km2 (6,500/sq mi)
Postal codes	2800, 2801, 2811, 2812
Area codes	015–03
Website	www.mechelen.be

Mechelen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmɛxələ(n)], French: Malines, German: Mecheln, traditional English name: Mechlin) is a city and municipality in the province of Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium. The municipality comprises the city of Mechelen proper, some quarters at its outskirts, the hamlets of Nekkerspoel (adjacent) and Battel (a few kilometers away), as well as the villages of Walem, Heffen, Leest, Hombeek, and Muizen. The Dyle (Dutch: Dijle) flows through the city, hence it is often referred to as the Dijlestad ("City on the river Dijle").

Mechelen lies on the major urban and industrial axis Brussels–Antwerp, about 25 km from each city. Inhabitants find employment at Mechelen's southern industrial and northern office estates, as well as at offices or industry near the capital and Zaventem Airport, or at industrial plants near Antwerp's seaport.

Mechelen is one of Flanders' prominent cities of historical art, with Antwerp, Bruges, Brussels, Ghent, and Leuven. It was notably a centre for artistic production during the Northern Renaissance, when painters, printmakers, illuminators and composers of polyphony were attracted by patrons such as Margaret of York, Margaret of Austria and Hieronymus van Busleyden.