The Moonlight Pub

Just a stone's throw away from the Grote Markt square, St Rumbold's Tower and the City Museum in Mechelen, you can find café Het Maanlicht (The Moonlight).

Locals as well as tourists are more than welcome here for a fine selection of local and Belgian beers, and an array of cold and hot drinks, including locally roasted coffee and the renowned Gouden Carolus Single Malt Whisky, produced by our local Anker Brewery.

Our name refers to a local legend. On a cold night in January 1687, St Rumbold's Tower was shrouded in mist. A none too sober tippler emerged from an inn on the Grote Markt. He suddenly saw that the tower was on fire and immediately raised the alarm. The whole city was thrown into confusion, the alarm bell was sounded and the city council led by the burgomaster lost no time in organizing the fire-fighting operation. Buckets of water went from hand to hand in a chain up the tower stairway, but even before they reached the top, the moon slipped through the haze and the glow disappeared… Little had the brave citizens realized that the reddish misty glow they were trying to extinguish was the moon!

Of course the people of Mechelen tried to keep the incident quiet, but the news soon spread abroad, earning the people of Mechelen the nickname Maneblussers (Moon Extinguishers) – a nickname they bear to this day... and proudly so!

By the way: did you know the roots of Ludwig van Beethoven - the famous composer of the Moonlight Sonata - go back to Mechelen? Just one more reason to pay us a visit!

Café Het Maanlicht | Frederik de Merodestraat 59 | B-2800 Mechelen | Belgium

Tel. +32 484 916 984 | Mail to: info@hetmaanlicht.be.

For more information about our beautiful city, please visit the website of our local Tourist Office.