The Belfry
This is of course one of the city's most prominent symbols in the historical centre of Bruges. It is a medieval bell tower that once served as an observation post for spotting fires and other danger. It also once housed a treasury and the municipal archives. It is 83 m (272 feet) high and leans about a metre (3 ft) to the east. The belfry was added to the market square around 1240, when Bruges was prospering as an important centre of the Flemish cloth industry, but suffered a devastating fire in 1280, following which the tower was largely rebuilt.
The octagonal upper stage of the belfry was added between 1483 and 1487. A couple of times in the past the tower was capped with wooden spires but both eventually fell victim to fires.
The Belfry fulfilled an important role in the city, notifying inhabitants not only of the time, but fire alarms, work hours, and a variety of social, political, and religious events.
The number of bells has varied over the years and currently there are 47, 26 of which survive from those cast by Joris Dumery to replace the bell set after the last fire in 1741.
The historic city centre is a prominent World Heritage Site of UNESCO.
The Belfry
This is of course one of the city's most prominent symbols in the historical centre of Bruges. It is a medieval bell tower that once served as an observation post for spotting fires and other danger. It also once housed a treasury and the municipal archives. It is 83 m (272 feet) high and leans about a metre (3 ft) to the east. The belfry was added to the market square around 1240, when Bruges was prospering as an important centre of the Flemish cloth industry, but suffered a devastating fire in 1280, following which the tower was largely rebuilt.
The octagonal upper stage of the belfry was added between 1483 and 1487. A couple of times in the past the tower was capped with wooden spires but both eventually fell victim to fires.
The Belfry fulfilled an important role in the city, notifying inhabitants not only of the time, but fire alarms, work hours, and a variety of social, political, and religious events.
The number of bells has varied over the years and currently there are 47, 26 of which survive from those cast by Joris Dumery to replace the bell set after the last fire in 1741.
The historic city centre is a prominent World Heritage Site of UNESCO.