Lille, the City of Two Belfries (in Fact Three)

Belfries, built by cities of Northern Europe during the Middle Ages, were watch towers used to alert the population in case of an invasion. They were also symbols of both the freedoms enjoyed by the city and the richness of the local bourgeoisie. Twenty-three of them from the French regions of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardie were recently designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. Lille was among the cities honored by this award. But what makes Lille special is that it is the only city to have two belfries.

The oldest one is the belfry belonging to the Chamber of Commerce, located on the Opera Square just behind the main square. Inaugurated in 1921, this beautiful neo-Flemish style building is a symbol of the power of the local bourgeoisie and contains a carillon, an old machine with 25 bells that plays different music every 15 minutes. Illuminated at night by various colors, the belfry is one of the most symbolic monuments of the city. You cannot visit it currently, but there are plans to transform it into a luxury hotel, so you might have the possibility to do so in the future.

If you have one belfry, why have a second one? Well, the local socialists of the 1920s did not appreciate the local bourgeoisie and decided to build a taller belfry for the city hall. Mixing Art Deco and traditional Flemish art, the belfry reaches 104 metres. When it was inaugurated in 1932, it was given the nickname “Lillois skyscraper,” a name which seems quite ridiculous today. The view at the top is quite impressive as you can see the whole city and beyond; from up here, you realize how flat the region is (you can unfortunately only visit it from April to August with the tourist office).

By now you are probably thinking that Lille has enough belfries, right? Well, the local policy makers decided it could be even better to have a third belfry for the Regional Council Headquarters. This one is not particularly worth checking out, but it surely demonstrates that the people in Lille have a belfry fever.

Photo 1 Lille by Adrien Bonnet