Belfries of Belgium and France

Lore & Background

The World Heritage Site was originally called the Belfries of Flanders and Wallonia, a 1999 UNESCO list of 32 towers in those two regions of Belgium. In 2005, the list was expanded and given its current name, recognizing the addition of 23 belfries from the Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy regions in the north-eastern tip of France, plus the belfry of Gembloux in Wallonia. Despite the list being concerned with civic tower structures, it includes six Belgian church towers under the pretext that they had served as watchtowers or alarm bell towers.

Reader's Guide

Most of the structures in this list are towers projecting from larger buildings. However, a few are notably standalone, of which a handful are rebuilt towers formerly connected to adjacent buildings. One notable omission may seem the tower of Brussels' Town Hall, but this is not an actual belfry. The original Belfry of Brussels was located next to the Church of St. Nicholas, until its collapse in 1714. Brussels' Town Hall is part of the Grand-Place World Heritage Site. The belfries collectively represent the civic pride and autonomy that emerged in the medieval County of Flanders and Burgundian territories, contrasting with ecclesiastical towers.

Did You Know?

• The site originally included 32 towers in Flanders and Wallonia in 1999.
• In 2005, 23 French belfries and the belfry of Gembloux were added.
• Six Belgian church towers are included because they served as watchtowers or alarm bell towers.
• The original Belfry of Brussels collapsed in 1363.