World Heritage Photos

The Belfries of Belgium and France were built between the 11th and 19th centuries. Belfries were used as a fortified watchtower or an alarm bell tower. Most of the belfries are adjoined to a town hall or market hall, only a few of them are free standing towers. Towers of religious buildings were also used as belfry. Belfries were typical for the medieval cities of Flanders, the northern part of France and southern part of the Netherlands. Belfries were also the symbols of freedom and wealth of a city. Thirty-two belfries of Belgium gained status as a UNESCO World Heritage in 1999. The UNESCO World Heritage was extended in 2005 to include twenty-three belfries in France and another one in Belgium. Some Flemish towns have both a belfry and a Flemish Béguinage: Tongeren and Sint Truiden.

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   Belfries of Belgium and France: A detail of the Belfry of Sint Truiden. Belfries were used as a watch tower or an alarm bell tower. The UNESCO World Heritage Belfries of Belgium and France consists of a large group of historic buildings situated in Belgium and the north of France. Built between the 11th and 19th centuries, the belfries represent different architectural styles such as Roman, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque. Together, the belfries form a unique heritage site.

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   Belfries of Belgium and France: The Belfry of the town of Sint Truiden in Belgium. The tower of the Sint Truiden Town Hall functioned as the town's belfry. The 18th century Town Hall was built around the medieval belfry. The lower part of the belfry was built in the 13th century, the upper part of the tower dates from 1608. Since 1999, the Sint Truiden Town Hall with its belfry is part of the UNESCO World Heritage: Belfries of Belgium and France.

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   Belfries of Belgium and France: The Belfry of Sint Truiden in Belgium. The slender tower of the town hall functioned as the town's belfry. The belfry houses a 50-bell carillon, it was restored in 2012. The belfry is located on the market square, one of the largest market squares of Belgium. On the right hand side the 12th century Gothic Church of Our Dear Lady, in Dutch: Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk.

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   Belfries of Belgium and France: The Belfry of the town of Tienen. The tower of the St. Germanus Church in Tienen functioned as a belfry. Through the centuries, belfries served not only as a bell tower to announce the time and various warnings, but also as a fortified watchtower. Since the 13th century, belfries were an important aspect of the architecture in Europe. The St. Germanus Church with its belfry is part of the UNESCO World Heritage: Belfries of Belgium and France.

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   Belfries of Belgium and France: The Belfry of the St. Leonard's Church in the town of Zoutleeuw, the church has three different towers. The construction of the church started around 1231 and continued into the 16th century, the oldest parts of the church are Romanesque. The towers are connected by an aerial walkway. The central tower contains a carillon with 24 bells. The church survived the iconoclasm during the Protestant Reformation and French Revolution intact.

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   Belfries of Belgium and France: The central tower of the St. Leonard's Church in the picturesque town of Zoutleeuw contains a carillon. Seven bells of this carillon were cast in 1531, they are the oldest carillon bells in the world. One of the other towers of the church functioned as the Belfry of Zoutleeuw. Belfries were typical for the medieval cities of Flanders, the southern part of the Netherlands and northern part of France, the towers were the symbols of freedom and wealth.

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   Belfries of Belgium and France: Several crows flying around the slender central tower of the St. Leonard's Church in Zoutleeuw. The two towers flanking the west façade are connected to each other by a corridor over the nave. The construction of the St. Leonard's Church started in 1231 and continued into the 16th century. The St. Leonard's Church with its three different towers is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site: Belfries of Belgium and France.

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   Belfries of Belgium and France: The three towers of the St. Leonard's Church at Zoutleeuw. On the right hand side the Belfry of Zoutleeuw. The construction of the church started in 1231, the oldest parts of the church are Romanesque. The church is often called the Reliquary of Brabant because it houses numerous religious works of art, such as the eighteen metres high nine-level sacrament tower, created in 1552, and a six metres high brass candelabra dating from 1483.

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   Belfries of Belgium and France: The St. Barbara Tower of the St. Leonard's Church is the Belfry of the Belgian town of Zoutleeuw. The World Heritage Belfries of Belgium and France is a group of 56 historical buildings. UNESCO inscribed 32 belfries of Flanders and Wallonia on the World Heritage List in 1999. In 2005, the belfry at the town of Gembloux in Belgium and 23 belfries in northern France were also inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

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    Belfries of Belgium and France: The belfry of the Basilica of Our Lady in the city of Tongeren, the 64 metres tall Gothic belfry was built from 1442 to 1544. It took over 300 years to complete the basilica, the 12th century cloister is one of the few remaining Romanesque cloisters in Belgium. The basilica houses several religious treasures, the most renowned is the walnut statue of Our Lady of Tongeren Cause of Our Joy, which dates from around 1479.

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    Belfries of Belgium and France: The Belfry of Tournai (in Flemish: Doornik) is the oldest belfry of Belgium. The medieval belfry is a freestanding bell tower. The 72 metres high tower was built in the 12th century. The belfry is situated in the Grand Place (main square) of Tournai in Belgium. Belfries were typical for the medieval cities of Flanders and are closely associated to the history of Flanders, Wallonia, northern France and the southern part of the Netherlands.