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Hotel Vé – where history and hospitality come together in a unique stay.
Located in two beautiful Mechelen buildings – a former fish smokehouse and an old cigar factory – we offer you a fascinating mix of the industrial past blended with the warmth of a 4* hotel. We welcome you!
THE FISH
Welcome to 'De Vis', the building adjacent to the Vismarkt, housed in the former smokehouse and fish wholesaler of Verberckmoes. As soon as you enter the hotel lounge, you are immediately embraced by the rich history of this building.
Until 2003, this building was used as a wholesaler for fish. This fish was pickled and smoked here. You can probably imagine how much fish this building has seen and what smells it has endured. In 2005, the renovation began to repurpose the old fish smokehouse into Hotel Vé. The first 36 rooms and meeting room 'De Vis' on the 3rd floor were a fact. In 2006, we welcomed our first guests and the story of Hotel Vé officially started.
In the patio of the Vis, you will find a beautiful work of art by Luc Verschueren, called 'De Voeten Van De Maan' (The Feet of the Moon) and was attached to the mantelpiece where herring was smoked for decades. The work of art is a nod to the people of Mechelen who are also known as the moon extinguishers. "They are the last moonbeams that can be used if the people of Mechelen ever manage to accidentally extinguish the moon".
We were able to preserve the chimney in its entirety by incorporating the staircase. Today, on the second floor, you can still find the flywheel that could hoist the cages with fish into the chimney. Feel free to explore!
THE CIGAR
The second part of the hotel is located in the old Windels cigar factory, a family business that has been passed down from generation to generation since 1875. August Windels founded this company as one of the first cigar factories in our country. In the meantime, the former factory building has been transformed into 'De Sigaar' as part of Hotel Vé. The commercial activities of Huis Windels
will be continued from the Ijzerenleen, you can still visit their specialty store for tobacco and spirits.
In 2014, we expanded Hotel Vé with this historic building, allowing us to add 21 additional rooms, a second meeting room and a modern wellness and fitness area.
Some of the original machines, such as the tobacco cutting machine and the old drying oven, can still be admired and give a nod to the former cigar production.
The two parts of Hotel Vé are connected by elegant bridges, which provide a smooth transition between the historical facets of our hotel.
THE TOWER
From Hotel Vé you have a breathtaking view of the iconic Sint-Romboutstoren. If you already think the tower is high with its 97 meters, you should imagine that the planned building height was 167 meters (or 600 Mechelen feet at the time). However, due to financial problems, the original plan never became reality.
The St. Rumbold's Tower is also the setting for one of Mechelen's most famous legends: the Maneblussers.
“According to historians, it happened on the night of 27 to 28 January 1687. That night there was a full moon and low clouds. A man who stepped out of a pub thought the tower was on fire and immediately raised the alarm. Neighbors, startled from their sleep, opened their windows and could only see the same thing. In no time, the entire city was in an uproar and the alarm bell was rung. The city council, led by the mayor, rushed to the scene of the disaster and began to organize the extinguishing work at breakneck speed. Buckets of water were passed from hand to hand like a chain along the tower stairs, but before the top was reached, the moon slid through the mist and the courageous people of Mechelen had to admit that they had only seen the reddish glow of the moon. After all, the moonlight was shining through the windows of the cathedral and the low clouds were at the level of the bell windows in St. Rumbold's Tower, giving the impression that smoke was coming from the tower.
Although they tried to keep the matter quiet, the people of Mechelen could not prevent the fact that it was heartily laughed about, even beyond the country's borders.
The nickname "maneblussers" would be kept by the people of Mechelen forever."
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