Qualla: Belfry of Ghent https://qualla.com/belfry-of-ghent en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:05 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/u/1/4/d/belfry-of-ghent-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Belfry of Ghent https://qualla.com/belfry-of-ghent Belfry of Ghent: Introduction https://qualla.com/belfry-of-ghent/ Photo credit Thaler Tamas, CC BY-SA 4.0. A gilded dragon perches atop Belgium's tallest belfry, watching over Ghent as it has since the late 14th century. The creature came from Bruges, a trophy or gift depending on which city tells the story, and it has outlasted every regime that has ruled Flanders since. Below the dragon, 53 bells ring out across the old city center, part of a carillon that began as a single alarm bell in 1325. The Belfry of Ghent rises among two other medieval towers in the city's heart, each serving different masters: Saint Bavo's Cathedral answered to God, Saint Nicholas' Church to the parish, and the belfry to the citizens themselves.

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Image: Thaler Tamas | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/u/1/4/d/belfry-of-ghent-wp/u14d-belfry-of-ghent-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Belfry of Ghent: A Tower Built Through Turmoil https://qualla.com/belfry-of-ghent/ Photo credit Trougnouf (Benoit Brummer), CC BY 4.0. Construction began in 1313 following plans by master mason Jan van Haelst, whose original drawings survive in the Ghent City Museum. Wars, plagues, and political upheaval interrupted the work repeatedly, but the builders persisted. By 1380, the tower stood complete. Near the end ...

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Image: Trougnouf (Benoit Brummer) | CC BY 4.0

]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/u/1/4/d/belfry-of-ghent-wp/u14d-belfry-of-ghent-a-tower-built-through-turmoil.mp3 0:06 2 full Belfry of Ghent: Roland Rings the Hours https://qualla.com/belfry-of-ghent/ Photo credit Donar Reiskoffer, CC BY 3.0. The alarm bell Roland, known in Dutch as Roeland, was installed in 1325. For the first half-century, it warned of fires and summoned citizens to arms. Beginning in 1378, Roland also marked the hours, its deep voice carrying across the growing medieval city. Three smaller bells wi...

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Image: Donar Reiskoffer | CC BY 3.0

]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/u/1/4/d/belfry-of-ghent-wp/u14d-belfry-of-ghent-roland-rings-the-hours.mp3 0:06 3 full Belfry of Ghent: Cloth, Commerce, and Captivity https://qualla.com/belfry-of-ghent/ Photo credit Michielverbeek, CC BY-SA 3.0. The rectangular hall adjoining the belfry tells its own story of Ghent's rise and transformation. Built between 1425 and 1445 to serve the cloth trade that made the city rich, the hall housed inspectors who checked and measured woollens, and merchants who negotiated transactions....

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Image: Michielverbeek | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/u/1/4/d/belfry-of-ghent-wp/u14d-belfry-of-ghent-cloth-commerce-and-captivity.mp3 0:06 4 full Belfry of Ghent: The Mammelokker's Strange Tale https://qualla.com/belfry-of-ghent/ Photo credit Jim Linwood, CC BY 2.0. A small 1741 annex called the Mammelokker served as the entrance to a city jail that occupied part of the cloth hall from 1742 to 1902. The name translates directly as 'breast sucker,' and the reason watches over the doorway: a sculpture depicting Roman Charity. The Roman legend ...

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Image: Jim Linwood | CC BY 2.0

]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/u/1/4/d/belfry-of-ghent-wp/u14d-belfry-of-ghent-the-mammelokkers-strange-tale.mp3 0:06 5 full