Belfries of Belgium and France
56 civic belfries symbolizing medieval independence from feudal and church rule.
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The Belfries of Belgium and France are a group of 56 historical buildings designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. They are recognized as an architectural manifestation of emerging civic independence from feudal and religious influences in the former County of Flanders and neighbouring areas once possessions of the House of Burgundy.
Lore & Background
Originally listed in 1999 as the Belfries of Flanders and Wallonia, the UNESCO site included 32 towers in Belgium. It was renamed in 2005 after adding 23 belfries from northeastern France and the belfry of Gembloux in Wallonia, bringing the total to 56. Though the site focuses on civic towers, six Belgian church towers are included because they once 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 original Belfry of Brussels collapsed in 1363.
More in World Heritage Sites in France
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Belfries of Belgium and France (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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