Belfry
The belfry ( Belfort in Dutch , Beffroi or Belefroi in French ) is a tall, slender bell tower that is particularly typical of Flemish cities.
function
Most of the belfries were built during the Gothic period and are among the most important secular buildings of the Middle Ages . They were often preceded by wooden towers, none of which have survived. They were erected by the secular city authorities or the guilds or guilds as symbols of bourgeois power, also in relation to that of the church. Usually the belfry is connected to the town hall or is free-standing next to it.
As the safest place in a city, the tower usually housed the city archives , the treasury and often a prison . In addition, it served as a watchtower (to quickly detect enemies, but also city fires ) and to proclaim public affairs. These tasks were performed by the tower keeper. A city bell , from the 16th century also the carillon , whose main distribution areas are also in Belgium, northern France and the Netherlands , structured the time and gave the signal to open and close the city gates, marked the beginning and end of working hours or rang for festivities. The donjon and keep of a castle have similar functions to the urban belfry .
Belfries in Belgium and France
23 belfries in northern France ( French Flanders ) and 33 belfries in Belgium were declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1999 and 2005 . Some church towers were added to the list with the actual belfries ; these are marked in italics in the list. Belfries are a Flemish architectural phenomenon, therefore the Flemish names of the French or Walloon cities are added in brackets.
city | region | construction time | height | World Heritage since | particularities | image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aalst | Belgium , East Flanders | 1460 | 1999 | late Gothic ; replaced a corner tower from the 13th century, which was the oldest in the Netherlands; Carillon with 52 bells | ||
Abbeville (Abbekerke) |
France , Somme | 1986 | 27 meters | 2007 | Almost completely destroyed in World War II and not faithfully reconstructed until 1986 | |
Aire-sur-la-Lys (Ariën aan de Leie) |
France, Pas-de-Calais | 1724 | 45 meters | 2005 | Previous building from 1355; rebuilt true to the original after the First World War | |
Amiens | France, Somme | 1749 | 52 meters | 2005 | Previous building from 1410; current building from 1749; destroyed and rebuilt in World War II | |
Antwerp | Belgium, Antwerp Province | 15./16. Century, completed 1518 | 123 meters | 1999 | Church tower of the Cathedral of Our Lady ; defining the late Gothic flamboyant style ; Carillon with 49 bells | |
Antwerp | Belgium, Antwerp Province | 1561-1564 | 1999 | Town hall on the Grote Markt built by Cornelis Floris II in the Renaissance style | ||
Armentières (Armentiers) |
France, north | 1926-1934 | 67 meters | 2005 | Part of the town hall; Carillon with 11 bells; Previous building from 1510; destroyed in the First World War and then rebuilt | |
Arras (Atrecht) |
France, Pas-de-Calais | 1554 | 75 meters | 2005 | Town hall tower; after the First World War, faithfully reconstructed | |
Bailleul (Belle) |
France, north | 1932 | 2005 | medieval building destroyed in World War I and not faithfully reconstructed; Carillon with 35 bells | ||
Bergues (Bergen) |
France, north | 1961 | 54 meters | 2005 | Original construction from 1240; Destroyed in 1944, rebuilt in a simplified form in 1961; Carillon with 50 bells. He also became known through the film " Willkommen bei den Sch'tis ". | |
Béthune (Betun) |
France, Pas-de-Calais | 1346 | 33 meters | 2005 | Damaged in the First World War; true to the original, but rebuilt in a staggered manner; Carillon with 35 bells | |
Binche | Belgium, Hainaut | 14th Century | 1999 | Part of the town hall | ||
Boulogne-sur-Mer (Beunen) |
France, Pas-de-Calais | 18th century | 47 meters | 2005 | Original construction from the 12th century; Damaged in 1712 and rebuilt in its current form | |
Bruges (Brugge) |
Belgium, West Flanders | 14./15. Century; from 1240 as a wooden tower | 83 meters | 1999 | Belfry (Bruges) | |
Calais (Kales) |
France, Pas-de-Calais | 1925 | 75 meters | 2005 | Start of construction in 1910, completion after the First World War in 1925. Architect Louis Debrouwer from Dunkirk (Dunkerque) used a new construction technique, namely the use of reinforced concrete. | |
Cambrai (Kamerijk) |
France, north | 1736 | 62.5 meters | 2005 | Original construction from 1447–1474; current construction from 1736 | |
Charleroi | Belgium, Hainaut | 1936 | 70 meters | 1999 | Erected in Art Deco style as part of the town hall. | |
Comines (Komen) |
France, north | 1623 | 58 meters | 2005 | ||
Dendermonde | Belgium, East Flanders | 1377 | 1999 | Originally a corner tower of the Cloth Hall , which was expanded into a town house in 1377; During the First World War , the entire old town was badly damaged, and the carillon was also lost, which was replaced in 1975 by a new one with 49 bells; Rebuilt in 1925/26 | ||
Diksmuide | Belgium, West Flanders | 1999 | ||||
Douai (Dowaai) |
France, north | 1380-1475 | 54 meters | 2005 | Carillon with 62 bells | |
Doullens (Dorland) |
France, Somme | 1613 | 28 meters | 2005 | Town hall tower | |
Dunkirk (Duinkerke; French Dunkerque) |
France, north | 15th century | 58 meters | 2005 | The Belfry of Dunkirk was previously integrated as a steeple in St. Eligius Church , and has been free-standing since 1782; Carillon with 50 bells | |
Dunkirk | France, north | 1901 | 75 meters | 2005 | Tower of the Hôtel de Ville (town hall) | |
Eeklo | Belgium, East Flanders | 1932; Town hall built in the 17th century | 1999 | |||
Gembloux (Gembloers) |
Belgium, Namur | 2005 | ||||
Ghent | Belgium, East Flanders | around 1313-1380 | 95 meters | 1999 | Belfry (Ghent) | |
Gravelines (Grevelingen) |
France, north | 1608 | 32 meters | 2005 | ||
Hesdin (Heusden) |
France, Pas-de-Calais | 1563-1629 | 2005 | |||
Ieper (Ger. Ypres) |
Belgium, West Flanders | 1200-1230 | 70 meters | 1999 | Part of the Cloth Hall , badly destroyed at the beginning of the First World War, but reconstructed as true to the original as possible from the 1920s until 1967 | |
Herentals | Belgium, Antwerp Province | 1534 | 35 meters | 1999 | former cloth hall; based on plans by Peter Moens and Merten Casus; Carillon with 50 bells | |
Kortrijk | Belgium, West Flanders | oldest parts from 1307 | 1999 | formerly part of the old cloth hall, free-standing since it was demolished in 1899 | ||
Leuven Leuven |
Belgium, Flemish Brabant | 1507-1541 | 1999 | Unfinished church tower of the Sint-Pieterskerk , the tower should be approx. 165 meters high according to Joost Massys ' plans , two further outer ones each 136 meters high; After collapsing in 1570, 1572 and 1603, the uppermost part of the tower was demolished in 1613 | ||
Lier | Belgium, Antwerp Province | 1369 | 1999 | According to plans by Hendrik Mijs; Part of the town hall from 1741, but older; since 1971 carillon with 23 bells | ||
Lille (Rijsel) |
France, north | 1924-1932 | 104 meters | 2005 | New building based on plans by Émile Dubuisson in the Art Deco style after the old tower was destroyed in the First World War | |
Lo | Belgium, West Flanders | 1565-1566 | 1999 | built according to plans by Joos Staesin in the Renaissance style; Part of the former town hall; today hotel and restaurant | ||
Loos | France, north | 1880 | 2005 | based on plans by Louis Marie Cordonnier | ||
Lucheux | France, Somme | 2005 | ||||
Mechelen | Belgium, Antwerp Province | 1449-1520 | 97 meters | 1999 | Church tower of Sint-Rombouts Cathedral ; based on plans by Rombout Keldermans ; unfinished due to financial difficulties, originally a height of 167 meters was planned; two carillons | |
Mechelen | Belgium, Antwerp Province | 14th Century | 1999 | unfinished; originally part of the cloth hall, which was converted into the town hall in 1526 by Rombout Keldermans | ||
Men | Belgium, West Flanders | 1574-1610 | 33 meters | 1999 | Town hall tower; Carillon with 49 bells | |
Mons (mountains) |
Belgium, Hainaut | 1661-1672 | 87 meters | 1999 | free-standing baroque tower on the ground of an earlier castle | |
Namur (name) |
Belgium, Namur | 1388, renewed in 1450, restored in 1753 | 1999 | |||
Nieuwpoort | Belgium, West Flanders | 1922 | 1999 | Town hall in neo -renaissance style ; the original town hall was destroyed in the First World War | ||
Oudenaarde | Belgium, East Flanders | first half of the 16th century | 1999 | Town hall in the Brabant Gothic style | ||
Roeselare | Belgium, West Flanders | 1999 | ||||
Rue (Rouwe) |
France, Somme | 2005 | ||||
Saint-Riquier (Sint-Rikiers) |
France, Somme | 2005 | ||||
Sint-Truiden | Belgium, Limburg | 1608 | 1999 | |||
Thuin | Belgium, Hainaut | 1639 | 1999 | originally the steeple of the Saint-Theobard church, which was demolished in 1811 | ||
Tielt | Belgium, West Flanders | 1558-1560; Predecessor construction 1275 | 1999 | Hall gates of the former cloth hall; Carillon from 1773 with 36 bells | ||
Tienen | Belgium, Flemish Brabant | 1323 | 1999 | Sint-Germanuskirche with city tower | ||
Tongeren | Belgium, Limburg | 1442-1544 | 1999 | Tower of the Basilica of Our Lady | ||
Tournai (Doornik) |
Belgium, Hainaut | around 1200 | 1999 | Carillon with 43 bells; 1844 redesigned in neo-Gothic style | ||
Veurne | Belgium, West Flanders | 1617-1628 | 1999 | |||
Zoutleeuw | Belgium, Flemish Brabant | from 1231 | 1999 | Church tower of the Sint-Leonarduskerk; Carillon with 24 bells |
Belfries in neighboring regions
city | region | building | construction time | height | World Heritage since | particularities | image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sluis | Zeeuws Vlaanderen | City Hall Tower (Commons: Category) | from 1386 | Rijksmonument 33890 | the only belfry in the Netherlands , tower completely destroyed in World War II | ||
Cologne | Rhineland | Cologne Council Tower | from 1402 | 61 | In contrast to the older parts of the town hall, it belongs to the Brabant Gothic style; Carrillon, however, probably only since 1958 |
Neo-Gothic
The belfry experienced a renaissance in numerous town hall buildings, but also post offices, train stations and other public buildings of the neo-Gothic style in the late 19th and early 20th centuries , now also outside of the original area of distribution.
Web links
- "Mounting the dragon on the belfry"
- Les Beffrois - France, Belgique, Pays-Bas
- Belfries in Belgium and France on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).