Belfry of Mons

Mons, Belgium

The belfry of Mons is one of the more recent among the belfries of Belgium and France. It is classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1999. It is the only one in Belgium that is constructed in baroque style. With an altitude of 87 meters, it dominates the city of Mons, which is constructed on a hill itself.

The building was designed by architecture Louis Ledoux. He led the works from 1662 until his death in 1667. The work was continued from 1667 to 1669 by Vincent Anthony. This belfry is both a prestigious construction and a functional building as it served to warn in case of fire or, during the Second World War, to give alerts against incoming bombardments.

The belfry of Mons does not have all possible belfry characteristics like the presence of a jail or rooms serving the Justice department, but the Hainaut province is not a region with belfries that are as typical as the ones in Belgian Flanders and in French Flanders.

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Address

Rue des Gades 7, Mons, Belgium
See all sites in Mons

Details

Founded: 1662-1669
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More Information

en.beffroi.mons.be
en.wikipedia.org
www.belgium-tourism.be

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


St. Nicholas Church (52,2 km)
La Grand-Place (52,1 km)
Brussels Town Hall (52 km)
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (51,8 km)
Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg (51,9 km)
Royal Palace of Brussels (52 km)
Church of Our Blessed Lady of the Sablon (51,6 km)
Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula (52,5 km)
Chapel Church (51,5 km)

User Reviews

miguel cuenca (2 years ago)
Nice views
Thanos Zach (2 years ago)
Beautiful architecture but... 20 euro for the entrance?? Are you serious? With this price I can visit Coliseum, or Acropolis of Athens or the Eiffel Tower! The price here should be 7 euro maximum and free entrance for montoise students!
Victor Ginzburg (2 years ago)
very nice and cozy old town, the belfry is a must, great views all around, although the elevator ticket is a bit expensive, ten euros.
Viviane Côté (3 years ago)
Nice history of the belfry inside on each floor. Too bad we couldn't get all the way to the top. No views from the Belfry.
Adam Kruvand (3 years ago)
Mons is the storybook European town you would expect to see in a movie. The Belfry is a world heritage site and looks like it was built for that movie. It's chimes every 15 minutes creates the quintessential soundtrack to your visit. At the top of the Mon, it's visible from most of town. A meticulous restoration inside and out proves the locals are proud to have it. A small museum inside provides the best view of Mons as well as a close up of the bells.
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The main gallery (completed 1703) and the masterful Colonna art collection was acquired after 1650 by both the cardinal Girolamo I Colonna and his nephew the Connestabile Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna and includes works by Lorenzo Monaco, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Palma the Elder, Salviati, Bronzino, Tintoretto, Pietro da Cortona, Annibale Carracci (painting of The Beaneater), Guercino, Francesco Albani, Muziano and Guido Reni. Ceiling frescoes by Filippo Gherardi, Giovanni Coli, Sebastiano Ricci, and Giuseppe Bartolomeo Chiari celebrate the role of Marcantonio II Colonna in the battle of Lepanto (1571). The gallery is open to the public on Saturday mornings.

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Along with the possessions of the Doria-Pamphilij and Pallavacini-Rospigliosi families, this is one of the largest private art collections in Rome.

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