Belfry (Ghent)

Ghent Belfry with Mammelokker and cloth hall behind on the left

The Ghent Belfry is 95 meters high and stands in the center of the Flemish city of Ghent . It rises between St. Bavo's Cathedral and St. Niklaskirche, with the towers of which it stands on a line. Together they form the famous Ghent three-tower series drie torens van Gent . The Ghent Cloth Hall is connected to the belfry and also houses the tower entrance.

Famous are the four stone guardian figures from 1339 on the corner towers (today in copies), the large Roland bell from 1660 (6070 kg), a carillon from 1659, the tower clock from 1912 and v. a. the legendary "Dragon of Ghent", cast in 1377, as the spire.

The Secreet in Ghent's Belfry, where important privileges were kept, had two doors with three locks each, the keys of which were owned by various craft guilds. The cabinet with the documents had 18 bolts, which in turn were locked with 3 keys. These were kept by the Vogt and the chief aldermen.

history

The construction of the belfry probably began before 1314 - the first known and surviving invoices from that year are available - according to a plan by Jan van Haelst . The original of the building plan is in the Ghent City Museum (STAM).

In 1323 four construction phases of the planned six had already been completed. Between 1377 and 1380 a temporary wooden tower crown was added. The figure of the legendary 'Dragon of Ghent', cast in 1377 and brought from Bruges, was placed on top. Over the following centuries, the spire was repeatedly adjusted.

The tower not only served as a fortress and fire protection tower, but also housed the secret archive, in which the important privileges of the city were kept. This had two doors with three locks each, the keys of which were in the possession of different guilds ; the certificate cabinet had eighteen bolts, which in turn were locked with three keys. These were kept by the Vogt and the chief aldermen.

The largest bell in the tower, the Rolandsbell (Klokke Roeland) gave the signal to open and close the city gates, indicated fires and also rang on special events, including battles won, which is why Emperor Charles V after successfully suppressing the uprisings Bell removed.

After various wooden spiers, the Belfort was given a neo-Gothic cast iron spire in 1852. Half a century later the condition of this spire deteriorated so dramatically that a competition for a new spire was announced before the 1913 World's Fair , which was won by Valentin Vaerwyck's suggestion, which was based on the medieval spire. Since the work had to be carried out quickly in the face of the following world exhibition, many flaws were shown in retrospect, such as the connection between the stone hull and the new stone bell house. Restoration work was therefore carried out in 1967 and 1980.

The tower and its adjoining buildings have been listed as historical monuments since 1936. The Ghent Belfry, together with the Cloth Hall and the “Mammelokker”, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999.

Cloth Hall

The construction of the cloth hall, which adjoins the belfry, began in 1425. Work came to a standstill in 1441. Of the eleven planned gables, only seven were realized. It was not until 1903 that the four missing gables were added according to the original plans.

Since 1613 the fencers of the Royal and Knightly Main Guild of St. Michael ( Koninklijke en Ridderlijke Hoofdgilde van Sint-Michiel ) made use of the upper floors of the cloth hall. The former city regiment had given its approval because the fencers were jointly responsible for the defense of the city. In view of the fact that the guild still exists today and the resolution of 1613 is still considered legally valid, this part of the cloth hall is still the official place of the meeting.

Mammelokker

Relief detail

The "Mammelokker" is a small annex building from 1741 in the style of Louis-quinze based on a design by David 't Kindt and served as the guardroom of the city prison, which occupied the cellar of the old cloth hall from 1742 to 1902.

The name comes from the Ghent dialect and literally means breast teat ("mamme" = breast; "lokken" = suck). It refers to the old legend of "Roman charity" ( Caritas Romana ), which is depicted in the tympanum relief and transferred to local conditions. The original legend came from the Dictorum factorumque memorabilium libri IX ("Nine books on legends and deeds worth remembering"), a work by Valerius Maximus around AD 31.

According to legend, a prisoner named Cimon was sentenced to death by starvation, but he refused to die. His wet nurse daughter Pero was allowed to visit him every day, but without bringing him any food. However, she managed to secretly suckle him on her breast and thus ensure his survival. Since the father did not die even after a long time, the judge let the prison guards keep an eye on the woman during her visits. When they noticed what they were doing, he confronted the woman with her actions, whereupon the woman replied in the Ghent version that she had done this in trust in God. The judge found this so beneficial and good that he showed himself gracious to both of them and released their father.

Today the building functions as the office of the Ghent ombudsman.

gallery

Belfry with Cloth Hall and the Ghent National Theater on the right
Pictorial representation of the Mamelokker legend
View of the Belfry and the Ghent Cloth Hall from St. Bavo's Cathedral; behind the St. Niklaskirche
Depiction of the gilded copper kite
View of the belfry and St. Bavo's cathedral in the 19th century.