Technopolis

Mechelen’s latest attraction is an interactive science centre with a range of hands-on science and technology displays, which will help old and young alike better understand how things work. Experience such things as landing an aircraft, cycling on a high wire bike 5 metres above the ground, launching your own hot-air balloon or rocket, standing in a life-sized soap bubble, printing your own front page and much more. www.technopolis.be

The De Wit Royal Tapestry Manufacturers

A chance to see how the age-old Flemish tradition of tapestry is maintained. Visitors can see how new tapestries are made, still by hand, and learn how old tapestries are renovated and cleaned. Visitors are welcome at 10.30am every Saturday, with visits lasting around 90 minutes.

Breendonk Concentration Camp

Located 20km outside of Mechelen, in the village of Breendonk, this World War II concentration camp, originally built as a defence fortress, was used by the Nazis from September 1940 till August 1944 during the occupation of Belgium. Visitors can pass through the entrance gate, the tunnels, cells and rooms, the mortuary, dungeon, barracks, the execution square and the Bailey Bridge. In the former showers and kitchen, works of art can be seen that were made by the prisoners. There are also different rooms dedicated to the Nazi-occupation of Belgium and the Breendonk regime as well as to the post-war trials of the executors. A poignant memorial to the 4,000 men and women who lost their lives here.

The Jewish Museum of Deportation and Resistance

During the Nazi occupation of Belgium in World War II, Mechelen was chosen as a staging point for Belgian Jews who were destined for the concentration camps in Eastern Europe. Over 25,000 Jews passed through the centre, mostly en route to Auschwitz with only 1,200 surviving. Nowadays, the museum has displays depicting Jewish life in Belgium before the war as well as the sad story of the occupation, the deportations, the concentration camps, the resistance and liberation.

The Speelgoedmuseum (The Toy Museum)

Home to a huge collection over three floors of toys and interactive games, both antique and new, which will bring back memories for young and old.

Museum Hof van Busleyden

The City of Mechelen Museum is housed within a 16th century brick mansion, once the home of Hiëronymous van Busleyden, a prominent member of Margaret of Austria’s court. Within is a display of sculptures, paintings and furniture and the famous gold leather salon, the "Goudleerkamer" with examples of the finest gold leather ever produced in Mechelen. You can also see the original "Op-Signoorke ", a 17th century wooden sculpture that has been Mechelen's mascot for over three hundred years.

Oud Schepenhuis

Located on the corner of Grote Markt, this gothic building was used as the seat of the Parliament of Mechelen, the supreme court of law of the Netherlands from 1473 until 1614. Later the guilds held their meetings here and in the years after, it was used as a prison. Nowadays the museum houses items of 15th and 16th century art and history.

The De Mijlpaal Railway Museum (The Milestone Railway Museum)

Exhibitions will take you back to the time of the pioneers in the 19th century when the first European railway line linked Mechelen and Brussels.