The Belfry of Ghent.
The 56 Belfries of Belgium and the North of France are belltowers of medieval origin (all built between the 11th and the 17th century), representing the transition from feudalism towards mercantile urban society. In this sence, they are strong symbols of the rise of civil liberties in the Middle Ages. Most of them are attached to the town hall or church.
I guess for us the belfry of Ghent is a special one. On our way to work, we ride our bike up to this belfry each morning. The dragon on top of it watches over our city and for us, this is the most beautiful belfry of them all – and I really think we can say that without being biased. We haven’t seen all 56 of them yet, but maybe we’ll be able to add a few more to the list along the way…
