It was near the end of this period that the gilded dragon, brought from Bruges,[4] assumed its place atop the tower.

[5] Through the centuries, the belfry served not only as a bell tower to announce the time and various warnings, but also as a fortified watchtower and the place where the documents evidencing the municipal privileges were kept.

The carillon was built by the famous bellfounders Pieter and François Hemony in the 17th century and has a total weight of 30 tons.

[6] The primary bell in the tower, called Roland, was also used to warn the citizens of Ghent of an approaching enemy or a battle won.

The rectangular hall adjoining the belfry was built to headquarter the affairs of the cloth trade that made the city rich during the Middle Ages.

As the cloth industry lost importance, the hall drew new occupants, including a militia guild and a fencing school.

A small annex dating from 1741, called the Mammelokker, served as the entrance and guard's quarters of the city jail that occupied part of the old cloth hall from 1742 to 1902.

Cimon was sentenced to death by starvation, but survived and ultimately gained his freedom thanks to his daughter Pero, a wet nurse who secretly breastfed him during her visits.