One of the city's most prominent symbols, the belfry formerly housed a treasury and the municipal archives, and served as an observation post for spotting fires and other danger.

A narrow, steep staircase, accessible by the public without any entry fee, leads to the top of the building, which nowadays leans about a bit to the west.

[1] The belfry was added to the main market square around 1307, when Courtray was prospering as an important centre of the Flemish cloth industry.

During the Second World War, the Belfry was only partly damaged, but it wasn’t until the 1950s that the bell tower was properly restored to its original glory.

The bells in the tower regulated the lives of the city dwellers, announcing the time, fire alarms, work hours, and a variety of social, political, and religious events.