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Belfries of Belgium and France

Belfry of Mechelen, BelgiumBelfry of Mechelen, Belgium
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mechelen_Laekenhall.jpg
Author: Viktorhauk
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The Belfries of Belgium and France is a transboundary World Heritage Site. It comprises 32 Belgian belfries initially inscribed in 1999 as Belfries of Flanders and Wallonia, with a further 23 belfries in the north of France and one more in Gembloux in Belgium, making a total of 56 belfries in two countries. Thereafter the list is closed to further extensions.

The original inscription was made during the 23rd session of the World Heritage Committee which met in Marrakesh, Morocco on 29 November to 4 December 1999, while the extension was made during the 29th session meeting in Durban, South Africa, on 10-17 July, 2005.

The belfries were inscribed on the basis of their being exceptional examples of a form of urban architecture according to the political and spiritual requirements of their era. These belfries also symbolize the new-found independence of the towns in the County of Flanders and in Wallonia.

Belfry of Aalst, BelgiumBelfry of Aalst, Belgium
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aalst_belfort.JPG
Author: Vitaly Volkov
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Belfry of Binche, BelgiumBelfry of Binche, Belgium
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Binche_Beffroi.JPG
Author: Jonathan Nélis
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Belfry of BruggeBelfry of Brugge
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Belfort_Brugge.jpg
Author: L. Ellis
photo licensing)

Belfry of Gent, BelgiumBelfry of Gent, Belgium
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BelfortGent.jpg
Author: Donarreiskoffer/SieBot
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Belfry of Herentals, BelgiumBelfry of Herentals, Belgium
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Herentals_belfort.jpg
Author: Frank Wouters
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Belfry of Hesdin town hallBelfry of Hesdin town hall
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beffroi_d%27_Hesdin.jpg
Author: Pir6mon
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Belfry of Kortrijk, BelgiumBelfry of Kortrijk, Belgium
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:KortrijkBelfort.JPG
Author: Bernard bill5
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Belfry of Lier, BelgiumBelfry of Lier, Belgium
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stadhuis01.jpg
Author: Welleschik
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Belfry of Lo-Reninge, BelgiumBelfry of Lo-Reninge, Belgium
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lo_-_Stadhuis_en_belfort.jpg
Author: LimoWreck
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Belfry of Namur, BelgiumBelfry of Namur, Belgium
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:01-Namur-300605_%281%29_JPG.jpg
Author: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT
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Belfry of Roeselare, BelgiumBelfry of Roeselare, Belgium
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roeselare_-_City_Hall_-_Belfry_1.jpg
Author: LimoWreck
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Belfry of Sint-Truiden, BelgiumBelfry of Sint-Truiden, Belgium
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sint-Truiden_stadhuis.jpg
Author: Charles01
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Belfry of Tielt, BelgiumBelfry of Tielt, Belgium
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Belforttielt_28-10-2008_17-45-13.JPG
Author: Paul Hermans
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Some of the Belfries of France on the World Heritage List

Belfry of Aire-sur-la-Lys, FranceBelfry of Aire-sur-la-Lys, France
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Belfry_Aire-sur-la-Lys.jpg
Author: Armont
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Belfry of Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne, FranceBelfry of Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne, France
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne_belfry.JPG
Author: Sjwells53
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Belfry of Boulogne, FranceBelfry of Boulogne, France
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boulogne_beffroi.JPG
Author: Arnaud Gaillard
photo licensing)

Belfry of Dunkerque, FranceBelfry of Dunkerque, France
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dunkerque_Belfort.JPG
Author: Welleschik
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Belfry of Loos, FranceBelfry of Loos, France
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beffroi_de_Loos_%283%29.JPG
Author: Chapheau Guillaume
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Belfry of Lucheux, FranceBelfry of Lucheux, France
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lucheux_beffroi.jpg
Author: Matthieu Debailleul
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Belfry of Saint-Riquier, FranceBelfry of Saint-Riquier, France
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Saint-Riquier.jpg
Author: Jclesire
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What to See in the Belfries of Belgium and France

The belfries of Belgium are in the following towns (names in Dutch and French) in the County of Flanders inscribed in 1999: Aalst/Alost, Antwerpen/Anvers, Brugge/Bruges, Dendermonde/Termonde, Diksmuide/Dixmude, Eeklo, Gent/Gand, Herentals, Ieper/Ypres, Kortrijk/Courtrai, Lier/Lierre, Leuven/Louvain, Lo-Reninge, Mechelen/Malines, Menen/Menin, Nieuwpoort/Nieuport, Oudenaarde/Audenarde, Roeselare/Roulers, Sint-Truiden/Saint-Trond, Tielt, Tienen/Tirlemont, Tongeren/Tongres, Veurne/Furnes and Zoutleeuw/Léau.

The belfries of Belgium in the towns in Wallonia inscribed in 1999: Binche, Charleroi, Mons, Namur, Thuin and Tournai.

The belfries of France added to the list in 2005 are in the following towns: Armentières, Bailleul, Bergues, Cambrai, Comines, Douai, Dunkerque (Beffroi de l'église St-Eloi de Dunkerque and Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville Dunkerque), Gravelines, Lille, Loos, Aire-sur-la-Lys, Arras, Béthune, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Calais, Hesdin, Abbeville, Amiens, Doullens, Lucheux, Rue and Saint-Riquier.

The belfry of Gembloux in Wallonnia, Belgium, was also added in 2005.

World Heritage Site Inscription Details

Location: N 50 10 28 E 3 13 53 (This is an approximation as the belfries are located across Belgium and northern France)
Inscription Year: 1999, Extension: 2005
Type of Site: Cultural
Inscription Criteria: II, IV

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Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

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