Belfry of Bruges Audio Guide

Belfry of Bruges: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to the Belfry of Bruges

   Welcome to the Markt, the market square in the very center of Bruges, and to the tower that rises over it: the Belfry of Bruges, known in Dutch as the Belfort. Tilt your head back. It stands 83 meters tall, and for centuries it has dominated the skyline of this medieval city. This is one of Bruges' most prominent symbols, and it was never just a pretty landmark. In its working life it held a treasury and the municipal archives, and it served as an observation post for spotting fires and other dangers. Its bells set the rhythm of daily life, and they still strike every quarter-hour. Over the next few minutes we will look at how the tower began, how fire and lightning kept reshaping it, and what you will meet if you climb its 366 steps. Along the way you will also see why UNESCO recognizes it as a treasure shared by all humanity.

2. 02

   A Tower Born from Cloth and Commerce

   Picture Bruges in the early thirteenth century, a city in full bloom. On this very square stood several wooden halls that served as market places for the growing wool and cloth trade. Exactly when the first belfry appeared is not recorded, but there was probably a wooden city hall with a tower here by the early thirteenth century. Around 1240, the city decided to replace the wooden structures with a stone hall complex, topped by a belfry tower. That choice says a lot. A belfry was a statement of civic pride and urban independence, built by a town that was getting rich on cloth and wanted a building to match. Step into the courtyard of the City Halls and you can still see the tower rising from the hall complex that surrounds it. Belfries like this are characteristic of Flanders, parts of Wallonia and northern France, and they are among the oldest examples of medieval civic and public architecture.

3. 03

   Fire, Lightning and a Vanished Spire

   This tower has had a hard time of it. In 1280, a great fire ravaged the belfry and destroyed its upper part. The flames also took the city archives from before that year, and that loss led Bruges to build a separate town hall on the Burg, which then took over the administrative functions. The upper half of the tower was largely rebuilt. In 1480, an extra floor was added: the octagonal Gothic stage that still gives the tower its characteristic look, crowned at the time with an elegant wooden spire. In 1493, lightning struck during a severe storm and burned that spire down completely. A new wooden spire went up in 1501, and with it the tower was about 15 meters taller than it is today. Then, in 1741, fire hit the tower for the third time, and the wooden spire burned down for good. Look at the top today and you are seeing the tower as it was left after that last blaze.

4. 04

   Climbing the 366 Steps

   If you want to truly experience the Belfry, you climb it. There are 366 steps to the top, and the climb doubles as a story. Along the way you pass the treasure room, the drum room and the workplace of the city carillonneur, the musician who plays the tower's bells. In the Middle Ages this tower safeguarded the city's riches and housed its archives, so those rooms are not decoration. They are the working organs of a building that, in the words of those who care for it, lives, sings, warns, welcomes and remembers. When you reach the bell room, you get 360 degree views across Bruges and the countryside around it. The mighty bronze bells ring out every quarter-hour with a powerful toll right above your head, so protect your ears. Belgian carillon culture has itself been recognized by UNESCO as a model safeguarding practice, which gives that sound extra weight.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   The Belfry has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1999, as one of the belfries of Belgium and France, and it is also a key component of the historic center of Bruges, which was inscribed in 2000. More than 200,000 people visit it each year. It has also drawn artists. The American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote a poem titled The Belfry of Bruges, and the tower and the Markt appear among the filming locations of the 2008 film In Bruges. Before you move on, try standing in the square and waiting for the next quarter-hour. Notice how the sound falls over the rooftops, and picture the watchmen who once scanned the same streets for smoke. Then ask yourself which part of the tower you would most like to see up close.