Name: Belfry and District House
Rating: 2

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Belfry and District House

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Belgium

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East Flanders

Belfry and District House

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Location: East Flanders, Flanders, Belgium

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Best Hikes to Belfry and District House

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1. Belfry and District House – Aalst City Park 1915 - 1916 loop from Aalst

7.81km

02:00

30m

Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Easy

3.8

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2. Aalst City Park 1915 - 1916 – Dirk Martens loop from Aalst-Kerrebroek

12.4km

03:11

40m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

4.7

(3)

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3. Belfry and District House – Aalst Station loop from Aalst

3.97km

01:01

20m

Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Easy

Tips

Willem VS

September 27, 2020

The belfry was added in 1460 and was fitted with a sundial and a carillon with 52 bells in 1600. You hear a tune every 15 minutes. It was not until 1544 that the Area House was built, the building at the front. The area house served to proclaim the new laws and regulations or to make them known to the public. There have been many renovations after demolitions and fires, the last one dating from 1879. Except for the Belfry, the buildings are not open to visitors.

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Katrien

December 11, 2021

The eye-catcher on the Grote Markt is the old aldermen's house with belfry tower and district house, popularly called the belfry.

The belfry is therefore not 1 large building, but consists of 3 different buildings:

The old alderman'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 characteristic of the town halls in the late Middle Ages. The belfry from 1407 owes its elegance to the octagonal tower with openwork gallery. The facade 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 graceful belfry tower was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999 and houses one of the oldest carillons in our country. The carillon, which is still working, reminds you every fifteen minutes of the ancient presence of the belfry on the Grote Markt.

The neo-Gothic dial on the tower was replaced in 1964 by a half-sphere one. From then on, the inhabitants of Aalst called the belfry 'den tettentoeren', referring to the resemblance between the clock and women's breasts.

The district house, the projecting late-Gothic building, was the place from which the bailiff or stadtholder promulgated the laws for the people who gathered on the Grote Markt. Five statues adorn the facade: 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 councilors gather here on the 1st floor for the council meeting.

Source: visit-aalst.be/nl/beziensworthheden/belfort

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🇧🇪 Herwig Aertbeliën

March 10, 2022

The Schepenhuis of Aalst, as it exists today, is a building from the 15th century and is also known as the Belfry of Aalst or the Old Ship's House. It is located on the Grote Markt and consists of three parts, namely the aldermen's house itself, the belfry and the district house.

Source: nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belfort_van_Aalst

Translated by Google •

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Elevation 30 m

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Thursday 18 September

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Location: East Flanders, Flanders, Belgium

Belfry and District House

1. Belfry and District House – Aalst City Park 1915 - 1916 loop from Aalst

2. Aalst City Park 1915 - 1916 – Dirk Martens loop from Aalst-Kerrebroek

3. Belfry and District House – Aalst Station loop from Aalst

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