
Visiting the belfries of northern France and Belgium involves travelling to many little-known towns that are well off the tourist trail. So on my visit to the region I covered some of the 56 included in the WHS, and found them to be all different - no two alike. It was quickly apparent that much of what I saw were copies, that the originals had been destroyed in WW1, WW11 or both:
Amiens - a short squat tower close to the cathedral (also a WHS)
Calais - a tall red brick tower attached to the town hall
Boulogne - square and grey, and now a war memorial
Hesdin - appears to poke out of the town hall roof, the lower part can be seen inside the tourist office
Rue - large squat tower
Abbeville - tall square tower
Loos - a tall red brick tower with corbels and turrets
Lille - very tall, slim red brick tower
Bethune - decrepit and grimy
Comines - red brick with onion dome roof
Gravellines - tall yellow brick tower
Dunkirk (St Eloi) - a tall square tower
Dunkirk (town hall) - red brick tower attached to the town hall
Bergues - tall yellow brick tower with onion dome roof
Bailleul - tall yellow brick tower with lantern roof
Armentiers - tall red brick tower with spire, attached to the town hall
Cambrai - tall grey stone, originally a church tower
Douai - grey stone tower attached to the town hall, with a brilliant 62 bell carillion
Arras - a yellow brick monument attached to the town hall
Tournai - elegant white stone tower
Roeslare - tall square tower attached to the town hall
Oudenaarde - a tall ornate tower, an integral part of the town hall
Kortrijk - a short red brick tower with turrets
Menen - octagonal red brick tower
Ypres - large and squat with turrets, attached to the cloth hall (near the Menen Gate, a huge WW1 memorial)
Mons - tall grey stone tower with onion dome roof
Charleroi - a tall slender tower
Gembloux - a brick tower with onion dome roof
Namur - a squat, circular tower
Binche - a tall brick tower with a tiered roof, attached to the town hall
Ghent - a stone tower with spire
Eeklo - a slender red brick tower overshadwed by a somber church tower nearby
Veurne - wedding cake style, overshadowed by a huge church behind
Dixmude - tall towerr attached to the town hall
Tielt - a cute brick tower with a lantern roof
Dendermonde - tall white brick tower attached to the town hall
Aalst - white brick tower with corbels and decorative panels
Bruges - a square and circular wedding cake tower of white stone
Tongeren - a large square tower attached to a church
Tienen - square tower attached to St Gemanicus' church
Mechlen - multi facetted tower of St Rombould's cathedral
Antwerp - tall spire attached to the OLV cathedral
Antwerp - squat tower attached to the town hall
Herentals - a slim circular brick tower on a triangular gable
Lier - a white tower with steeple, attached to the town hall.
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