Belgium UNESCO world heritage sites

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Belgium UNESCO world heritage sites

Antwerp province [capital = Antwerpen]

City Hall in Antwerpen at Grote Markt 1
Antwerp’s town hall is of capital cultural importance as it is one of the first examples of Renaissance architecture in the Low Countries. The building has a long and colourful history and has been in use since the sixteenth century. There is to plenty to see on the outside and inside of the city’s stateliest building. The Renaissance façade, the magnificent halls, and several artworks.

Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerpen at Groenplaats 21
While the exterior is authentic Gothic, much of the interior is 19th-century neo-Gothic. However, the main attraction for many visitors is the mostly Baroque art – foremost four works by local artist Peter Paul Rubens including two magnificent large altars featuring the raising of the cross and the descent from the cross.

Plantin-Moretus House in Antwerpen at Vrijdagmarkt 22
The monument is of outstanding architectural value. It contains exhaustive evidence of the life and work of what was the most prolific printing and publishing house in Europe in the late 16th century. The building of the company, which remained in activity until 1867, contains a large collection of old printing equipment, an extensive library, invaluable archives and works of art, among them a painting by Rubens.

Guiette house in Antwerpen at Populierenlaan 32
Maison Guiette in Belgium was Le Corbusier's first commission outside of France.

Town hall in Mechelen at Grote Markt 1
The belfry is now a UNESCO world heritage site. On the right of the belfry you can see the oldest part of the town hall, the remains of the earlier cloth hall. On the left is the Palace of the Great Council. The Great Council never actually met here, because this wing was only completed in the twentieth century in accordance with the original sixteenth-century plans of the then leading architect Rombout Keldermans. The interior of the Town Hall is well worth seeing.

St. Rumbold's Cathedral in Mechelen at Onder de Toren 12
Designed to reach 600 Mechlinean feet or about 167 metres, higher than any church tower would ever attain (Ulm Minster has measured 161 metres since the 19th century), the very heavy St. Rumbold's tower was built on what had once been wetlands, though with foundations only three metres deep its site appears to have been well-chosen.

Large beguinage in Mechelen at Hoviusstraat 16
The closed character of the beguinages of Mechelen, as it can be experienced in other cities, can only be sensed through the narrow streets of the quarter.

Belfry and cloth makers' hall in Lier at Grote Markt 1
Special features worthy of note are the elegant oak spiral staircase, the painted ceiling in the council chamber, the wrought-iron work of art 'Fighting the Dragon' by Louis van Boeckel and a large collection of paintings and antiques.

Beguinage in Lier at Begijnhofstraat 1
Entering the monumental beguinage gate from 1690, you start an impressive journey into history in a labyrinth of eleven silent cobblestone streets with 162 picturesque cottages. The beguinage church, dedicated to St. Margareta is a must-visit, you will find a rich baroque interior and a monumental organ.

Cloth makers' hall and belfry in Herentals at Grote Markt 1
The town hall occupies the former drapers' hall, at the centre of an elongated Grand-Place. The 16C brick and sandstone building is topped by a tiny belfry with a carillon. The current building, made of Ledian brickwork, is a fine example of Brabant Gothic architecture.

Colony of Benevolence in Wortel at Kolonie 41
Male vagrants and beggars were admitted there and worked under surveillance on the land and in workhouses.

Beguinage in Hoogstraten at Begijnhof
Some older alcove chapels still remain in the wall around the Beguinage. The Beguinage was aimed at providing a living environment for poor women of good virtue. As such this Beguinage differs from the more urban types that were aimed at single noble women.

Brabant province [capital = Brussels]

Grand-Place in Brussels at Grand Place
Today the Grand-Place remains the faithful reflection of the square destroyed by the French artillery and testifies to the symbolic intentions of the power and pride of the Brussels bourgeois who chose to restore their city to its former glory rather than rebuild in a contemporary style, a trend commonly observed elsewhere.

Hotel van Eetvelde in Brussels at Palmerstonlaan 2
The visible application of "industrial" materials such as steel and glass was a novel for prestigious private dwellings at the time. In the Hotel van Eetvelde the architect Victor Horta used a hanging steel construction for the façade. The interior receives additional lighting through a central reception room covered by a stained-glass cupola.

Hotel Tassel in Brussels at Paul Emile Jansonstraat 6
Horta’s dream was to create a hotel using state-of-the-art technology and innovative materials to show how Art Nouveau could blend natural beauty and lines with modern design. Using glass to light the rooms below with natural sunlight was a direct counter to the advent of the electric lightbulb—and his choice to celebrate craftsmanship during a time of assembly lines is seen in the handmade stained glass commissions, intricate ironwork, and glass mosaics throughout the hotel.

Hotel Solvay in Brussels at Louizalaan 224
This luxury townhouse was built by Victor Horta in 1894 for the son of captain of industry Ernest Solvay. The architect was given "carte blanche" and designed the interior and the furniture down to the smallest detail. On the fassade, two symmetric bow windows surmounted by balconies are seen to protrude across two floors. Indoors it is a visual extravaganza, with the sheer range of red-orange hues on offer only acting to underpin the atmosphere of luxury and comfort. A must-see building.

Horta Museum in Brussels at Amerikastraat 25
Built between 1898 and 1901 at 23-25, rue Americaine in Saint-Gilles, Brussels, the two buildings are typical of Art Nouveau at its height. The interior decoration has largely been retained, the mosaics, stained glass, and wall decorations forming a harmonious and elegant whole, down to the last detail.

Stoclet House in Brussels at Tervurenlaan 279
The house and garden were completed in 1911 and their austere geometry marked a turning point in Art Nouveau, foreshadowing Art Deco and the Modern Movement in architecture. Stoclet House is one of the most accomplished and homogenous buildings of the Vienna Secession, and features works by Koloman Moser and Gustav Klimt, embodying the aspiration of creating a 'total work of art' (Gesamtkunstwerk). Bearing testimony to artistic renewal in European architecture, the house retains a high level of integrity, both externally and internally as it retains most of its original fixtures and furnishings.

Sonian Forest in 1170 Watermael-Boitsfort at Chaussee de la Hulpe, Grippensdelle A
Located to the south-east of Brussels, the Sonian Forest is a suburban forest of approximately 5,000 ha. Its beech cathedral is particularly impressive, so called because the upper branches of these tall-growing trees remind us of the intertwining ribs of Gothic buildings.

Sonian Forest in 1170 Watermael-Boitsfort at Sentiers des Muguets, Grippensdelle B
See above

Sonian Forest in 1560 Hoeilaart at Forest Reserve "Joseph Zwaenepoel"
See above

Sonian Forest in 1310 La Hulpe at Chemin du Fond du Ails, Forest Reserve "Ticton B"
See above

Sonian Forest in 1310 La Hulpe at Forest Reserve "Ticton A"
See above

Saint Peter's Church in Leuven at Grote Markt
The collegial church of Saint Peter is a masterpiece of Brabant style Gothic. It is the oldest church in Louvain, being built originally in Romanesque style in 986.

Great Beguinage in Leuven on Schapenstraat
The beguinage of Leuven has the appearance of a small town on its own, with houses planned along a network of narrow streets and small squares.

St. Germanus church in Tienen at Grote Markt 14
Tienen originally developed around the St. Martin chapel, later replaced by the St. Martin church, the oldest parish church in the town. The church was the private chapel of the van Avendoren family. A second settlement developed eastwards, around the easier to defend St. Germanus Hill. Some historians say that the St. Germanus church was built in the 9th century.

St. Leonard's Church in Zoutleeuw at Grote Markt 3
Few if any other medieval churches in Belgium remain in such an excellent state of preservation as St. Leonard's, which stayed clear of the widespread iconoclasm during the Protestant Reformation. It also survived the French Revolution intact, because three canons took an oath of allegiance to the French regime. The interior thus offers an authentic glimpse of how the churches of Brabant were furnished centuries ago.

Beguinage in Diest on Begijnenstraat
Most of the 90 houses were built during the 17th and 18th centuries. The entrance gate was built in 1671 and is adorned with a niche housing the Virgin and Child. The Saint Catherine Church was built of iron sandstone in the 14th century. The Flemish béguinage of Diest is well preserved. Nowadays, the houses have become artists' ateliers and the homes for the elderly.

Hainaut province [capital = Mons]

Funerary and memory sites of the first world war in Comines see detail
The sites include different military cemeteries, battlefield burial grounds, and hospital cemeteries, often combined with memorials.

Belfry in Tournai at Grand'Place 15
The belfry (French: beffroi) of Tournai, Belgium, is a freestanding bell tower of medieval origin, 72 metres in height with a 256-step stairway.

Notre-Dame Cathedral in Tournai at Place de l'Eveche 1
In particular, it is distinguished by a Romanesque nave of impressive dimensions and richly sculptured and by a transept with five towers that indicate the beginnings of Gothic art.

Mining Site in Hornu at Rue Sainte-Louise 82
As UNESCO World Heritage Site, it introduces visitors to its founding father, Henri De Gorge, a captain of industry and a real visionary. Back in 1810, in the small town of Hornu, this man came up with the idea of a perfect city where workers could enjoy a standard of living that was unheard of at that time. He supervised the building of a village with 450 spacious homes with hot water and a garden. After this, a school, a library, a dance hall, shops and a dispensary were built.

Belfry in Mons at Parc du Chateau
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.

St Symphorien military cemetery in Mons at Rue Nestor Dehon 32
The Battle of Mons took place as part of the Battle of the Frontiers, in which the advancing German armies clashed with the advancing Allied armies along the Franco-Belgian and Franco-German borders.

Neolithic Flint Mines in Spiennes(Mons) on rue du Point du Jour
The Neolithic Flint Mines of Spiennes are the largest and earliest concentration of ancient mines of north-west Europe. The mines were in operation for many centuries and the remains vividly illustrate the development and adaptation of mining techniques employed by prehistoric populations in order to exploit large deposits of a material that was essential for the production of tools and cultural evolution generally.

Canal boat lift in Thieu at Rue Raymond Cordier 50
The degree of authenticity is very high in all respects. The lifts have not undergone any modification since they were built, and their operating machinery is in its original form and in perfect working order. Similarly, the other components of this industrial landscape have been preserved and maintained in their original form, with the minimum of modifications resulting from minor technological developments. The brick and stone buildings are well maintained and sympathetically restored where necessary.

Canal boat lift in Houdeng-Aimeries(La Louviere) on Rue Alfred Thoriot
See above.

Bois-du-Luc coal mine in Houdeng-Aimeries(La Louviere) at Rue Saint-Patrice 2b
The Bois-du-Luc is particularly known for the surrounding company town (cité ouvrière) which was created for the mine works during the 19th century and is today one of the most notable surviving remnants of industrial paternalism in Belgium.

Canal boat lift in Houdeng-Goegnies(La Louviere) at Rue Tout-Y-Faut 90
See canal boat lift above.

Canal boat lift in La Louviere at Rue Tout-Y-Faut 152
See canal boat lift above.

Town hall in Binche at Grand Place 10
Its town hall was constructed in the second half of the 14th century and restored in the 16th century by Jacques de Broeucq.

Belfry in Thuin on Place du Chapitre
Although historically attached to a church, the bell tower has also become a municipal tower, the only belfry of the Principality of Liege.

Bois du Cazier coal mine in Marcinelle at Rue du Cazier 80
By 1955, the mine produced 170,557 tonnes (167,863 long tons; 188,007 short tons) of coal annually and employed a total of 779 workers, many of whom were not Belgian but migrant workers from Italy and elsewhere. They were housed by the mining companies, which in reality meant they moved into Nissen huts in former prisoner of war camps in the region. On the 8 August 1956, a major mining accident occurred and a fire destroyed the mine; 262 workers of 12 nationalities were killed.

Town hall in Charleroi at Place Charles II 15
The town hall at Charleroi, inaugurated in 1936, is an impressive classical building with geometric lines and an interplay of materials – red and black marble, bronze, brass, wrought iron – which add an Art Deco touch.

Belle Motte cemetery in Aiseau-Presles at Rue de la Belle-Motte 3
La Nécropole Nationale de Belle-Motte is the largest French Military Cemetery in Belgium and contains 4,057 French burials.

French-German military cemetry Bellefontaine (le Radan) in Tintigny on Rue de la Bourbouleuse
It contains the bodies of 521 Frenchmen and 502 Germans.

Namur province [capital = Namur]

Belfry in Namur at Rue du Beffroi 6
Originally, one of the clocks of the Saint-Pierre-au-Chateau church served as belfry for the citizens of Namur, indicating the time and announcing events in the city. After the destruction of the church, burned down during the siege of Namur in 1745, the Tour Saint-Jacques, the oldest of the three towers of the medieval city walls, became the city belfry.

Belfry in Gembloux at Rue Notre Dame 4
Damaged by fire on numerous occasions in the 12th and 17th centuries, this sturdy square tower with brick and bluestone facing is the only element preserved from the church of Saint-Sauveur.

Memorial Executed Tamines in Sambreville on Place St Martin
This monument in Tamines commemorates those who were executed in the First World War.

Oost-Vlaanderen province [capital = Gent]

Town Hall in Oudenaarde at Markt 1
Above the ground-story arcade with vaulted ceiling, the building displays typical features of its regional forerunners: a richly decorated facade with pointed-arch windows separated by canopied niches, and a steep, dormered roof surrounded by an openwork parapet. The niches, although designed to contain statues, stand empty. Atop the central belfry tower of six stories with three terraces, a stone crown supports a gilded brass figure of Hanske de Krijger (Hans the Warrior), mythical guardian of the city.

Aldermen's House in Aalst at Grote Markt 19
The belfry tower at one corner of the building was completed in 1460, and in the next year was equipped with a carillon built by master craftsmen from Mechelen.

Town Hall in Dendermonde at Grote Markt 1
The superb Town Hall dates from the fourteenth century. Originally it was the Cloth Hall; later it did duty as the Sheriff's Court, and served other functions too. The town charters and privileges were kept in a fire-proof room in the belfry, which was built in 1377 and 1378. The carillon in the belfry plays charming melodies at regular intervals.

St. Alex Beguinage in Dendermonde at Begijnhof 11
The St. Alex beguinage (1288) consists of 61 houses built around a trapezoidal courtyard surrounding a small church. The beguinage is an island of tranquillity in the heart of town.

The Great Beguinage of St. Elizabeth in Gent on Engelbert Van Arenbergstraat
It is an exceptionally large beguinage, just outside the city, in the Sint-Amandsberg district. Six hundred beguines once lived here, although they have been gone for many years now. Nonetheless, the calm and stillness is still unique.

Small Beguinage Our Lady of Ter Hoyen in Gent at Lange Violettestraat 235
It still contains a church, chapel, ninety houses, and other buildings. The last beguine left the beguinage in 2004 because of her failing health, signaling the end of the beguinage as it was meant to be.

Belfry, Cloth hall and Mammelokker in Gent on Sint-Baafsplein
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.

Old St. Elizabeth Beguinage in Gent on Begijnhofdries
It was founded in 1242 by Jeanne, the Countess of Flanders.

Town Hall in Eeklo at Grote Markt 34
By 1240, a town had grown here and had already become important enough to warrant a civic charter by Jeanne of Constantinople, Countess of Flanders.

West-Vlaanderen province [capital = Bruges]

Belfry in Bruges at Markt 7
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.

Historic Center in Bruges on Rozenhoedkaai
The Historic Centre of Brugge is an outstanding example of an architectural ensemble, illustrating significant stages in the commercial and cultural fields in medieval Europe. Brugge in medieval times was known as a commercial metropolis in the heart of Europe. The city reflects a considerable exchange of influences on the development of art and architecture, particularly in brick Gothic, which is characteristic of northern Europe and the Baltic.

Princely Beguinage of the Vineyard in Bruges at Begijnhof 30
It consists of a collection of white-painted houses, a chapel and buildings for general utility purposes and religious purposes. Most of the houses are gathered around a central square that is planted with trees.

City Hall and Belfry in Nieuwpoort at Hendrik Geeraertplein 2
The belfry stands above the rectangular city hall which originates from the 14th century.

Nieuport Memorial in Nieuwpoort at Sluizen
Three lions, carved by the British sculptor Charles Sargeant Jagger, stand guard at the corners of the memorial's triangular paved platform.

City Hall and Belfry in Veurne at Grote Markt 1
The 15th century saw the construction of a new city hall, which is known today as the Pavilion of the Spanish officers, from its use in the 17th century as military headquarters.

World War 1 Belgian Military Cemetery in Oeren on Oerenstraat
Oeren Belgian War Cemetery contains 642 Belgian war graves from World War I.

City Hall in Diksmuide on Grote Markt
The City Hall and the Belfry with it's tower dominate the central market square of Diksmuide.

Funerary and memory sites of the first world war in/near Diksmuide see detail
The sites include different military cemeteries, battlefield burial grounds, and hospital cemeteries, often combined with memorials.

Old Town Hall in Lo-Reninge at Markt 1
At the corner of the building is a belfry tower, supported in the front by two Tuscan columns. The four walls at the top the tower end in step gables, with louvered openings to let out sound from the bell chamber. The lower part of the tower, with round arches over the columns, encloses a platform from which proclamations were announced. On the middle of the building's three main stories, a distinctly Flemish dining hall has been preserved, with an elegant mantelpiece, oaken ceiling and old windows glazed with the coats of arms of nobles and clergymen.

Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery in Poperinge at Boescheepseweg 24
As in many other war cemeteries looked after by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, a Cross of Sacrifice stands in the corner of Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, and there is also a Stone of Remembrance.

Cloth Hall in Ypres at Markt 34
It was one of the largest commercial buildings of the Middle Ages, when it served as the main market and warehouse for the Flemish city's prosperous cloth industry.

Funerary and memory sites of the first world war in/near Ypres see detail
The sites include different military cemeteries, battlefield burial grounds, and hospital cemeteries, often combined with memorials.

Belfry in Menen at Grote Markt
The first stone was laid in 1574, but as the wars of religion were raging in those days, the works were already halted in 1576, barely 2 years after they started. The construction works were resumed in 1610, and a superstructure in brick was constructed on top of the existing base that was put up in natural stone. On top of that structure, a wooden spire was established, with a domed roof and lantern. That spire was shot off during the siege of Menen in 1706. Afterwards, the belfry was repaired and a third, octagonal upper layer was added at the same time. On this third floor too, a wooden spire was built, again with domed roof and lantern. It was only in 1828 that repair works were carried out, and that a fourth, octagonal floor was added, which was enclosed by an openwork balustrade.

Belfry in Kortrijk on Grote Markt
The tower, who is nowadays a free standing tower in the middle of the Grote Mark (Main Market Square), used to be the main tower of the "Cloth hall", built in 1410.

Beguinage in Kortrijk on Begijnhofstraat
The Artillery Tower is one of the few remains of the city's medieval fortress. This tower dates back to the 14th century and was originally used as a tower for drinking water. The first bricks in the Church of Our Lady's long history were laid in the 13th century.

Town hall in Roeselare at Botermarkt 2
The city received its charter of freedoms in the mid-13th century, period in which it also built its first city hall and belfry. The manufacturing of cloth was then the main driver of the local economy.

Belfry in Tielt at Markt 30
The centrepiece of the Tielt market square is the belfry, which is the only remnant of the cloth hall.