Grote Markt

On the Grote Markt, Jan de Lichte was broken on November 13, 1748, at half past twelve in the afternoon. The bandit from Velzeke had at that moment four murders and two attempted murders on his conscience. Together with dozens of others, he was transferred to Aalst, where a total of 207 sentences were pronounced against 101 people. The heaviest punishment, which also befell Jan de Lichte, was breaking on the wheel. In this case, the condemned was bound back on a horizontal wheel, after which an executioner smashed his limbs with an iron bar. The wheel was then lifted on a pole to scare the people. Both the belfry tower and the Old Guild Hall adorn the UNESCO World Heritage List, and Flanders' largest folk festival, Aalst Carnival, was also included on UNESCO's representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Contact details:

-Grote Markt
-9300 Aalst
-Grote Markt 1

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