Belfry of Aalst

The Belfry of Aalst

The eye-catcher on the Grote Markt is the old alderman's house with belfry tower and area house.

The old aldermen's house was built in 1225 and is the oldest preserved alderman's house in the Netherlands. The high gable roof and the four round corner towers are a feature of the town halls in the late Middle Ages. The belfry from 1407 owes its elegance to its octagonal tower with openwork gallery. The façade contains two statues representing the Counts of Flanders and the Counts of Aalst and the inscription 'NEC SPE NEC METU' (without hope, nor fear), the motto of Philip II who was overtaken as Count of Aalst in 1555.

The ornate belfry tower was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999 and houses one of the oldest carillons (carillons) in our country.
Every quarter of an hour, the carillon, which is still in operation, reminds us of the centuries-old presence of the belfry on the Grote Markt.

The neo-Gothic numerals of the clock on the tower were replaced in 1960 by a clock face with hemispheres. From then on, the people of Aalst called the belfry 'den tettentoeren', referring to the resemblance between the clock and women's breasts.

The area house, the projecting late Gothic building, was the place from which the bailiff or stadtholder proclaimed the laws for the people who gathered on the Grote Markt. Five statues adorn the façade: Lady Justice, Dirk van Aalst (the last count, died in 1166), Pieter Coecke (court painter), Emperor Charles V and Cornelius De Schrijver (humanist and Latin poet).
Every month, all city council members gather here on the 1st floor for the city council meeting, the second floor is set up as a meeting room and the ground floor and basement are rented out as exhibition spaces.

The belfry is not open to the public.

Kenny