  Belfries of Belgium and France
Belfry of Mechelen, Belgium
Author: Viktorhauk (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)
The Belfries of Belgium and France is a transboundary World Heritage Site. It comprises 32 Belgian belfries initially inscribed in 1999 as Belfries of Flanders and Wallonia, with a further 23 belfries in the north of France and one more in Gembloux in Belgium, making a total of 56 belfries in two countries. Thereafter the list is closed to further extensions.
The original inscription was made during the 23rd session of the World Heritage Committee which met in Marrakesh, Morocco on 29 November to 4 December 1999, while the extension was made during the 29th session meeting in Durban, South Africa, on 10-17 July, 2005.
The belfries were inscribed on the basis of their being exceptional examples of a form of urban architecture according to the political and spiritual requirements of their era. These belfries also symbolize the new-found independence of the towns in the County of Flanders and in Wallonia.
Some of the Belfries of Belgium on the World Heritage List
Belfry of Aalst, Belgium
Author: Vitaly Volkov (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5)
Belfry of Binche, Belgium
Author: Jonathan Nélis (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)
Belfry of Brugge
Author: L. Ellis (Creative Commons Attribution 1.0)
Belfry of Gent, Belgium
Author: Donarreiskoffer/SieBot (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)
Belfry of Herentals, Belgium
Author: Frank Wouters (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0)
Belfry of Hesdin town hall
Author: Pir6mon (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)
Belfry of Ieper, Belgium
Author: Walter (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)
Belfry of Kortrijk, Belgium
Author: Bernard bill5 (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)
Belfry of Lier, Belgium
Author: Welleschik (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)
Belfry of Lo-Reninge, Belgium
Author: LimoWreck (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)
Belfry of Namur, Belgium
Author: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)
Belfry of Roeselare, Belgium
Author: LimoWreck (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)
Belfry of Sint-Truiden, Belgium
Author: Charles01 (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)
Belfry of Tielt, Belgium
Author: Paul Hermans (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)
Some of the Belfries of France on the World Heritage List
Belfry of Aire-sur-la-Lys, France
Author: Armont (public domain)
Belfry of Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne, France
Author: Sjwells53 (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)
Belfry of Boulogne, France
Author: Arnaud Gaillard (Creative Commons Attribution 1.0)
Belfry of Dunkerque, France
Author: Welleschik (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)
Belfry of Loos, France
Author: Chapheau Guillaume (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)
Belfry of Lucheux, France
Author: Matthieu Debailleul (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5)
Belfry of Rue, France
Author: Matthieu Debailleul (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5)
Belfry of Saint-Riquier, France
Author: Jclesire (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)
What to See in the Belfries of Belgium and France
The belfries of Belgium are in the following towns (names in Dutch and French) in the County of Flanders inscribed in 1999: Aalst/Alost, Antwerpen/Anvers, Brugge/Bruges, Dendermonde/Termonde, Diksmuide/Dixmude, Eeklo, Gent/Gand, Herentals, Ieper/Ypres, Kortrijk/Courtrai, Lier/Lierre, Leuven/Louvain, Lo-Reninge, Mechelen/Malines, Menen/Menin, Nieuwpoort/Nieuport, Oudenaarde/Audenarde, Roeselare/Roulers, Sint-Truiden/Saint-Trond, Tielt, Tienen/Tirlemont, Tongeren/Tongres, Veurne/Furnes and Zoutleeuw/Léau.
The belfries of Belgium in the towns in Wallonia inscribed in 1999: Binche, Charleroi, Mons, Namur, Thuin and Tournai.
The belfries of France added to the list in 2005 are in the following towns: Armentières, Bailleul, Bergues, Cambrai, Comines, Douai, Dunkerque (Beffroi de l'église St-Eloi de Dunkerque and Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville Dunkerque), Gravelines, Lille, Loos, Aire-sur-la-Lys, Arras, Béthune, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Calais, Hesdin, Abbeville, Amiens, Doullens, Lucheux, Rue and Saint-Riquier.
The belfry of Gembloux in Wallonnia, Belgium, was also added in 2005. Click here to view location of the belfries on map.
World Heritage Site Inscription Details
Location: N 50 10 28 E 3 13 53 (This is an approximation as the belfries are located across Belgium and northern France)
Inscription Year: 1999, Extension: 2005
Type of Site: Cultural
Inscription Criteria: II, IV
Visiting the Belfries of Belgium and France
Your base for visiting this World Heritage Site is Brussels. You can get your hotel there to help you make the arrangement, or select the appropriate tour package or day excursion. Get a full list of hotels in Brussels here.
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