The Ghent Belfry, 95 m high and located in the center of the city, is the ideal viewing platform to see the city from a bird’s eye view. It lies between St. Bavo’s Cathedral and St. Nicholas’ Church. The construction of the tower started in 1314.
The tower and the connected cloth hall served several purposes. In the basement of the Belfry used to be the city prison.
Above the entrance to the small annex that served as the guard room, the statue of the Mammelokker (breast feeder) depicts an old Roman legend.
An old man called Cimon was sentenced to death by starvation. His daughter visited him every day and nursed him. Thus he survived. When one uncovered the fraud, he was pardoned.
The most famous bell of the Belfried is the Roeland Bell (Klokke Roeland), also known as The Triumphant. When Ghent lost its privileges because of the uprising, Emperor Charles V ordered to remove the bell. Today it can be seen on the Emile Braunplein, next to the Stadshal.
On the ground floor, one kept the municipal privileges in a cupboard and distributed the keys among various guilds and dignitaries.
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More InformationOn the first floor, we see the Dragon of Ghent. It served as a spire and dates from 1377.
An elevator leads From the 1st floor to the viewing platform. All the sights, from the city museum to the Gravensteen Castle, can easily be recognized.
The tower also has an old clockwork and a carillon. Every Sunday, you can listen to it from 11 am to noon.
On Friday evenings, you can hear it from 8 pm to 9 pm, and during summer, every Saturday evening.
Adjacent to the Belfry, one began in 1425 with the construction of the Cloth Hall (Lakenhal), which, however, was finally completed in 1907. The elegant hall serves as venue for celebrations in the city.
Since 1613, the fencers of the Royal and Knightly St Michael’s Guild could use the hall on the first floor for their purposes. They enjoyed this privilege because they once took part in the defense of the city.
Since 1999, the Ghent Belfry with the Cloth Hall and the Mammelokker belong to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Please read on > Guided Boat trip in Ghent
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