Lier’s most iconic monument is the photogenic Zimmertoren, a partly 14th-century tower incorporating a fanciful 1930 timepiece that’s eccentrically overendowed with dials, zodiac signs, and a globe on which the Congo remains forever Belgian. At noon, a procession of figures – including Belgium's first kings – emerge from the south face. Paying the entrance fee allows horology fanatics to check out the mechanisms and an attached museum.
The museum includes a second 1935 astronomical Wonder Clock with 93 dials and representation of relative gravities: it wowed at the 1939 New York World's Fair but might not be so thrilling for nonspecialists; and the slow-moving half-hour video tends to clash with other push-button audio soundtracks if the museum isn't entirely empty.