Halletoren Bruges

The Halletoren of the Belfry is the most important tower in Bruges, dating from the 13th century, it is 83 meters high and protected as a world heritage site.

Those who climb the 366 stairs are rewarded with a breathtaking view over Bruges and its surroundings. On the way up you can stop in the treasury where the city accounts, the city seal and the city treasury were kept in the Middle Ages. You will also encounter the impressive musical roll that controls the carillon , and the keyboard on which the city carillonneur plays the 47 carillon bells .

There were originally a number of halls on the site of the current belfry. The halls consisted of several covered markets for mainly wool and cloth trade and storage areas.

The commercial elite in Bruges decided around 1240 to replace the timber construction with a stone complex and also to build a belfry in stone with a wooden spire, as a symbol of urban prosperity.

In 1280 the upper part burned down and the archive from before 1280 was lost. This ensured that a separate town hall was built on the Burg where most administrative functions moved.

Due to a lightning strike in 1493, this upper part burned down again as well as the city clocks.

In 1741 the spire burned down again .

Crooked

The tower began to slump in a southeasterly direction in the 13th century , perhaps as a result of a filled-in watercourse.

In 1964-1971 the tower was thoroughly restored. However, it turned out not to be necessary to additionally reinforce the foundations to prevent further tilting. The belfry of Bruges leans 87 centimeters towards Wollestraat.

Willem Vandenameele